Intertwined Destinies
by livinforcalzona
Summary: Arizona Robbins is finally a part of a family after her tragic family life as a kid. Callie Torres is a teen on the run from an abusive home, just trying to escape for long enough to make a plan. What happens when their paths cross?
1. Chapter 1

Do you believe in soul mates? In people you are just destined to meet, to fall in love with? Do you believe in true love? The kind of love that takes your breath away and makes you beg for more?

I remember being asked these questions when I was younger. I remember thinking "this is insane, how can I possibly know if I believe in all of that when I've never been in love?". I'll tell you what I believe in now, having experienced what I needed to experience to answer.

I believe in destiny, I believe in falling wonderfully, madly in love with another human being. I believe in getting lost in someone's touch, I believe in feeling as though your soul is irreconcilably linked to somebody else. I believe in wanting forever so badly it hurts.

I'm just not sure if you get it.

**Early May, 4 years ago - Arizona**

Arizona pushes through the overgrown underbrush, wincing as sharp branches scratch her legs. She makes a mental note to drag her brother out here to help her cut a path to the treehouse. When she finally breaks free of the underbrush, she finds herself at the edge of the river. From where she stands, she can see the treehouse hanging out of the tallest tree in the forest. Her face breaks out into the most genuine smile, and she bends over to undo her converse sneakers. She ties them around her neck and walks through the river, which only goes up to her knees. Tim says when he was younger it used to be up to the top of the bank, moving with a force that can only be found in nature. She'd decided she believed him. The sun was out and shining, warming her skin for the first time after a long winter. When Arizona scrambled up the other side of the bank, she shook the dirt off her clothes and smiled at the massive tree in front of her. She ran her fingers over the engraving in the base of the tree. _T.R. & A.R. _

"_You need to see this!" Tim shouted, barreling full speed through the forest._

"_Timmy, slow down!" Arizona shouted back, rolling her eyes._

_Tim stopped and let Arizona catch up, before smiling a genuine smile and taking off at a sprint again._

"_Catch me if you can, fatty!" He teased, causing Arizona's competitiveness to kick in as she chased him down. They reached the edge of the river within seconds of one another, Tim smiling proudly. _

"_Beat you." He pointed out._

_Arizona rolled her eyes and shoved him just hard enough to make him shift his weight to the other side._

"_You're two years older than me. And your legs are longer." She pointed out._

"_Look!" Tim said, pointing across the river. Arizona covered the sun with her hand and looked to where Tim was pointing. In the biggest tree she had ever seen sat a treehouse. It wasn't your ordinary, rickety treehouse. It was beautiful. She'd have expected no less, with carpenters in the family. _

"_Holy crap." She muttered, and Tim smiled proudly._

"_I know, pretty awesome right? Let's go!" _

_They crossed the river and came to stand directly in front of the tree house, Arizona looking up the massive tree in awe. When she looked back down, Tim was standing at the base of the tree, pocket knife in hand._

"_Is there bears of something out here?" She asked, and he laughed. _

"_Nope. Just doing something."_

_He ran his hand over an engraving in the tree, which she could see were his initials. T.R. _

"_Dad engraved this with me when he made it. I was seven." Tim explained, beginning a carving next to his name. Arizona didn't ask questions, she just watched as Tim's brow furrowed in concentration. After minutes of silence, Tim blew on the area he'd been engraving, and waved her over. He flashed her the biggest smile, and pulled his hand away from the tree._

_T.R & A.R. _

_Arizona didn't speak, she didn't know what to say. She was sure she a couple seconds away from crying a bucketload of tears._

"_I know we're not blood related. And I know you've got this life before me, and you've got a mom somewhere. I know it wasn't easy, and I know you've struggled and you've been hurt more times than I can imagine. But back home, right now, my parents, __**our**__ parents, are signing papers to adopt you. And that makes you my official little sister. This is a Robbins tree house. And if you wanna be, you can be a Robbins too."_

_Tim doesn't get the chance to finish, because Arizona cuts him off by throwing her arms around him and squeezing as hard as she can. _

"_Thank you, Timmy." She whispers, and she feels her brother - wow, a brother- squeeze back. _

"_I love you little sis." Tim says, before letting go and grabbing onto the bottom rung of the step ladder. Arizona takes a second before she follows him, running her fingers along the engraving. She allows her face to break into a wide smile. _

"_I'd love to be a Robbins." She whispers to no one in particular, before scrambling up the ladder after her brother. _

Three years later, and she's still tearing up staring at that engraving. She decides she's no longer mad at Tim for bailing on their regular trip here to go on a date with his girlfriend. He's allowed to go out and have fun, and she's glad he's found someone that makes him happy. At sixteen years old, Arizona has yet to find someone that makes her happy. She hasn't even kissed a boy, and to be honest, she's not sure that she ever wants to. Shaking those thoughts from her head, she grabs onto the bottom rung and begins the slow climb up to the tree house. At the top, she throws open the door and steps inside.

And finds that she is not alone.

**Early May, 4 years ago, Callie**

Callie has been on the run for what feels like months. In reality, it's probably been days. When her mom's boyfriend came home drunk, she'd made the decision. She'd grabbed those bags she'd packed ages ago and slipped out of her window. She ran until her lungs burned and her legs felt like jelly. She'd slept on the forest floor that night, wearing only a thick sweater and her jacket. The next day, she'd snuck into town and bought two blankets from the used clothing store with the money she'd saved up since she was ten. Then she'd zipped back into the forest, ready to put as much space between her and her home as she could. A couple days later, she'd thrown her backpack into the back of a moving train and hoped on herself. She'd gotten off in the dark that night, to ensure nobody saw her. The train must have cut a path through a forested area, because she found herself in a forest once again. She wrapped herself up in the blanket and wished for the millionth time that she hadn't forgotten to bring matches. Then she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

When she woke up, the sun was out and she packed her supplies and got on the move. She needed to find the perfect place to settle down. She was smart, very smart for a sixteen year old. She'd read up on living in the wild. She knew what to eat, what not to eat, how to collect rainwater. What she was looking for now was the perfect place to turn into her temporary home. She was hoping for a cave of sorts, but she had yet to come across rocky terrain. She'd all but given up on finding anything but trees when she looked up and saw a treehouse looming in a giant tree just beside a river. She nearly dropped to her knees in total shock. A place to live and fresh water? She could not of hoped for more. At the base of the tree, she saw two initials engraved in the bark. T.R & A.R.

"Well T.R. and A.R, thanks for the house." She mumbled, grabbing onto the bottom rung and climbing up the ladder. At the top, she threw open the door and let out a cry of excitement. This was no ordinary tree house. It wasn't creaky and drafty and in danger of falling out of the tree. It was sturdy, built like a tiny house. Inside was a makeshift table made of plywood and a large open space, presumably for sitting or sleeping. Callie took out her blankets and set them out of the floor, rolling one into a pillow. She then put a water bottle half full of warm water on the table. Exhausted, Callie lay down on her blanket and closed her eyes.

The next thing she knew, the sound of the door opening startled her out of her sleep, and deep blue eyes were staring at her in shock.


	2. Chapter 2

**Early May, that same day - Arizona**

Arizona knows a runaway when she sees one. The matted hair, the worn out, dirty clothes. The shifting eyes filled with fear. She was a runaway once upon a time. The girl in front of her has shifted from lying down to standing, poised as if she's going to bolt. She looks exhausted, and her cheeks are hollow, but Arizona can still tell she's heartbreaker material. She's got this dark skin that's to die for, and even though her eyes are filled with fear, Arizona can tell they're the kind of eyes you lose yourself in.

"Hey, woah, I'm sorry for scaring you." Arizona says, holding her hands up in a show of innocence. She smiles faintly and hopes her face shows how sincere she is.

The girl doesn't move. Doesn't say a word. Just stares at Arizona with those deep brown eyes filled with fear. Arizona reaches into her backpack slowly, pulling out a granola bar, and tosses it in the girls direction. She doesn't know what to say, because she knows firsthand that nothing a person can say changes the fear in your heart.

"I know you're scared. I know you want to run. Trust me, I know. But I'm not going to bring anyone out here. And honestly, you look kinda rough." Arizona says softly, hoping the last part softens the girl enough to relax, even just a little.

She watches the girls expression soften, only slightly, as she stares at Arizona. Measuring her up, reading her face. Arizona knows the game. When you've spent your life getting hurt, you learn to read people really well. She must pass the test, because seconds later the girl leans over and snatches up the granola bar. She eats it at lightning speed and Arizona opts to sit on the floor. Sitting is always a lot less threatening than looming in a doorway, right?

"Well I was worried you'd think it tastes nasty, because it does. But you're not picky, I guess. I like that!" Arizona opts to joke around some more, because she's in no mood to discuss her past as an ice breaker and she doubts this girl wants to hear it.

"Thank you." The girl answers quietly, and her voice is soft and warm, despite the cautious looks she's giving.

"You're welcome." Arizona answers, flashing a dimpled grin. "I'm Arizona, by the way." She adds and she sees a hint of a small smile cross the girls face.

They sit in silence for a long while, neither of them saying anything. Arizona isn't uncomfortable, silence doesn't bother her. She gets that the girl isn't ready to talk yet.

"Callie." A small voice mutters, and Arizona's head shoots up to lock eyes with those deep brown ones. "Well, Calliope, but Callie." Callie adds, and Arizona smiles.

"Calliope, I like that. It's original." She likes the way the name rolls off her tongue. And she loves one of a kind names. She likes a name that fits a person, and Calliope fits this girl perfectly. Callie smiles and looks down at the floor at the again.

"Arizona?" Callie asks cautiously, and Arizona smiles and nods, urging her to go on. "Do you have another granola bar?"

Arizona bursts out laughing, and is joined by a small chuckle from Callie. She digs around in her bag and pulls out the lunch box she brought along for the day. She scoots closer to Callie and unzips it, pulling out a ham sandwich, strawberries and a bottle of water.

"Alright, the water and the sandwich are all yours, but I'm not giving up all those strawberries. They're my favorite. So you're just going to have to share with me."

She passes Callie the sandwich and water, and Callie smiles at her and takes it. Arizona pops a strawberry in her mouth and watches Callie take ravenous bites out of the sandwich.

"I'm a pretty awesome sandwich maker. Like, the best. So you better be enjoying that!" Arizona jokes, relieved when Callie laughs and nods.

"It's pretty good. But I know my way around a kitchen, I could show you a thing or two." She counters, raising her eyebrows in Arizona's direction.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Arizona asks, and she knows she's asked a personal question when Callie freezes and her eyes shoot down to the floor.

"Um, my mom never cooked anything, she uh, she couldn't. So I learnt, you know, for her."

Arizona doesn't answer, because she doesn't need to. She knows what it's like. Coming home to the messy house, peeling your mom off the couch or the floor. Cooking her meals and doing her laundry and trying your best to keep all the pieces together. She knows how it feels to be exhausted all the time. To go to school for an escape. To try to get homework done when you're being a mother to yourself and your parent. She knows. And there's nothing she can say to change it or fix it. It's life, it happens. So they sit there, in silence, both aware that sometimes there's nothing you can really do to help.

That night, Arizona is studying for a biology test in her room when she hears a soft knock on her door.

"Come in!" She shouts, watching as Tim enters and closes the door behind him. She smiles at him and he smiles back.

"Hey sis. Sorry to bug you, I know you've got a big test on Monday. I just wanted to say sorry for not being able to come out to the treehouse today." He looked genuinely disappointed in himself for not being there with her this morning, and Arizona closed her book and sat up, patting the bed and motioning to her brother to sit.

"Tim, it's not a big deal. You have a girlfriend. And it was her birthday celebration. I would have kicked your ass if you'd ignored your girlfriend on her birthday just to hang out with your dorky little sister."

Tim smiles and nods.

"You're awesome, you know that?"

"I do know that, comes naturally."

"How was the tree house?"

Arizona is a terrible liar. Terrible is an understatement. When she lies she feels trapped, which always leads to a semi-coherent ramble.

"It...uh, yeah it's good. I ate some lunch in there, took a nap. Yep, no biggie. Nothing..like, major happened. You know, because I was alone and stuff."

Tim shoots her a look that says he's picked up on how nervous she is. _Why did I promise Calliope I'd keep her a secret from Tim, it's impossible_.

"Woah woah woah, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Arizona, you are the worlds most awful liar. It's actually pathetic, you disappoint me."

"What makes you think I'm lying?" Arizona counters.

"You're all red. And you're breathing all erratic. Plus you won't look at me. Arizona, come on! It's me!"

He shoots her a look that no one could ever say no to. They have a silent battle with their eyes until Arizona throws her hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Tim!" She whines, and he smiles but continues to press.

"Did you do something bad? I won't tell Mom and Dad, just tell me!"

"Listen, I didn't do anything stupid. Something happened and I can't tell you about it yet. Please just trust me, okay? Please."

He must hear the desperation in her voice, because his face morphs into one of understanding.

"Alright, fine. For now, it's your secret. But I hope you know you can trust me."

Arizona smiles and squeezes his hand before opening her biology textbook again.

"Of course I trust you. This is just something I can't tell you yet."

Tim leaves with a nod, and once he's out of the room, Arizona sighs and closes her textbook. She goes to her door and locks it, turning off the lights. Lying back down, she lets the events of the day hit her. Spending a couple hours with Calliope has brought up a rush of emotions she'd previously pushed down. She can't get her birth mothers face out of her mind. The day she ran away, the last time she saw her mom, she'd been asleep on the couch, sleeping off her last bender. Arizona had kneeled down to the level of the couch, pushing dirty blonde hair out of her moms face. She remembered how innocent her mom had looked sleeping there in that moment. Like any other parent. She traced the outline of her moms face with her thumb, smiling through tears that fell freely from her eyes. She'd pulled a red blanket from the floor and covered her mom with it. Then she'd turned around and walked out.

She hadn't seen her mom since. Her mother had given up custody without a fight. Arizona had cooked, cleaned, played clean up to her moms addiction, and her mom hadn't even fought for her. She didn't even know where her mom was. She didn't even know if she was alive. She didn't want to be with her mom, the Robbins' were the most amazing people she'd ever met. They'd treated her like a daughter from the moment she'd arrived. She considered them her parents in every single way. Her birth mother was like a distant memory, a reminder to Arizona that despite all of her efforts, she hadn't been enough. And she was smart, she knew that her mom's addiction twisted it all up. But all the intelligence in the world couldn't help the fall in her stomach as she pictured her moms dimpled cheeks and blue eyes that matched her own.

**Early May, That night - Callie**

Arizona left with promises of returning with more food the next day, leaving Callie alone to her thoughts. She hadn't expected to be found. In fact, she'd expected to go a good year before she saw another person again. When that door had been thrown open, she'd gone straight into flight mode, wanting to bolt. But there was something about this girl, with the light skin and kind, blue eyes that kept her rooted in her spot. Something about the way she said "_trust me"_, like she just knew absolutely everything Callie was feeling. She'd spent a lot of her life learning to read people. Learning to read her mom's boyfriends, learning to find threats before they struck. She looked into those blue eyes and she could see compassion, but she could also see pain. The kind of pain she knew she carried around with her. And that made her trust Arizona. Which was rare, because by nature she was not a trusting person. Arizona had done most of the talking, but it had been light banter. Nonetheless, Callie learnt that Arizona had a brother, Tim. She learnt that Arizona was adopted and that the tree house she had crashed had been built by her adoptive father. She learnt that Arizona was a year younger than her, having just turned 16 a couple months ago. Callie's was in a couple months, and she'd be seventeen. Tim, her brother, was 18, putting them all within a year of one another. Arizona had promised to keep her a secret from Tim for now, but had pointed out that eventually he'd want to come visit for traditions sake.

It had gotten dark outside. It was raining outside, but she wasn't cold. Arizona had left her with an extra coat, which she had wrapped tightly around her body. It smelt like coconut and vanilla. It was a smell that she associated with innocence and youth, but she knew without asking that Arizona was neither of those things. She could tell Arizona was kind, filled with a child-like excitement and love for the world. But beneath it, brewing just under the surface, like a storm waiting to break, she could see the madness. The pain behind bright eyes, the tiredness that came from having to work hard at being happy all the time. She willed herself to think about anything else but the blonde, but she was mesmerizing. Callie found that she wanted to know everything. Every story, every little detail. Which was insane, because she was a teenager on the run, and she'd known the girl for a total of three hours. It had been a long time since someone had called her by her real name with such kindness and softness. It had been eternity since someone had sat with her and joked with her casually. At school, everyone had avoided her. Nobody talked about it, but everyone knew why her clothes were torn and her hair was matted. The teachers always pretended like they had no idea, but she'd caught them before, looking at her with pity in their eyes. Of course, it had only driven her to study harder. She didn't want to be handed anything in life. She wanted to work for it. She wanted to be bad ass and unstoppable because she worked her ass of for it. She'd never been handed a thing in her life, and she was almost certain she never would. Some people just had to do it the hard way. Staring out the window, she wondered briefly what her mom was thinking. Would she even notice she was gone? There had been times where she'd gone months without her mother speaking to her. Either way, she figured the search wouldn't be extensive. Callie Torres wasn't someone the world would miss if she went off the grid. No one at school would wonder. No one at home would wonder. She'd spent most of her life feeling solitary in that sentiment.

Except this morning. This morning, she'd looked into Arizona's eyes and felt unbelievably safe in the way that she was certain Arizona knew exactly how that felt.


	3. Chapter 3

Thankfully I wrote this before last night's episode, or else it would have been forever until I could write a new chapter. Thankfully I can read/write fanfics all summer and pretend like everything in the Calzona fandom is okay. Enjoy! :)

**Arizona's POV**

Arizona is awake long before the sun begins to rise. She knows her brother will be asleep until at least noon, giving her time to race over to the treehouse and come back for lunch. In the kitchen, she packs two apples, some granola bars and bagel into her pink lunch pale. She writes a quick note to tell her parents where she is, and races out the front door. It's still chilly out, and the air smells of rain and fresh grass. When she finally reaches the treehouse, the sun is finally starting to warm her up and the goosebumps on her skin have faded. She races up the steps and throws open the door, laughing at the sight in front of her. Callie is dead to the world, wrapped in Arizona's jacket and a blanket. She's snoring lightly with her mouth open, and Arizona smiles lightly because it's probably the cutest thing she's ever seen. She considers not waking Callie up, but she's only got about four hours until she's due back home and she knows Callie will be hungry. She shifts down to Callies head and sits on the floor, shaking Callie's shoulder gently. She can see Callie fighting to stay asleep, but Arizona continues to shake her. One moment Callie is asleep and waking slowly, and the next she's shot up into sitting position and her eyes are wide with shock and fear. Arizona could literally slap herself for being so stupid. Of course being shaken awake is going to terrify her, she's on the run.

"Oh gosh, I'm so so sorry Calliope. Seriously. I didn't even think about...I didn't even think. But I brought you food and it's early and I just wanted to say hey-"

"Stop. It's fine. You just caught me by surprise." Callie's eyes are blinking against the sunlight, but she looks as though she's calmed down and Arizona sighs in relief.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think." Arizona mutters, still beating herself up mentally for being such an idiot.

"Arizona, it's fine. How could I possibly be mad when you woke up at the ass crack of dawn to bring me food?" Callie's voice is soft and the joke is tentative, but Arizona can't help but wonder what kind of person Callie is under the rough exterior she's put up to protect herself.

"That's true, you're lucky to have me, I'm an awesome friend."

"Oh yeah? We're friends now?" Callie says, and Arizona doesn't miss the crack in her voice as she says the word friend. As if she's in shock that someone would even want to be her friend. It simultaneously breaks Arizona's heart and makes her want to prove to Callie that she's a good person worthy of friends.

"I wouldn't bring food to a person at sunrise if we weren't friends." Arizona says, and Callie looks up and locks eyes with her. Arizona isn't sure if she's breathing, but she doesn't care, because those eyes are all she can't think about.

"Something tells me you're the kind of person who'd help anyone in need, friend or not."

Arizona can feel her cheeks starting to redden, and she attempts to laugh it off, but Callie is holding her gaze, and she knows her attempts to brush it off are futile. Callie grins, as if she's proud of having rendered Arizona speechless, and points to the lunch pale.

"That is a very pink lunch pale." She points out, and Arizona nods and laughs.

"Yes, yes it is. I love pink."

"That doesn't surprise me, Smiley." Callie says, causing Arizona to stop mid-smile and switch to a glare.

"That is an awful nickname."

"I like it. Suits you."

Arizona tries to keep her serious face on, but eventually she gives in and her face splits into a smile again.

"Whatever, smiles are good." She mumbles, unzipping the lunch pale and tossing Callie the bagel inside. Callie immediately takes a bite of the bagel and then throws Arizona a thumbs up.

They eat in silence, Arizona nibbling away at a granola bar and Callie wolfing down the bagel and an apple. Callie lets out a contented sigh and rubs her stomach, closing her eyes and smiling. Her hair is still mated and her skin is covered in a thin layer of mud and grime, and Arizona suddenly gets the brightest idea.

"Come with me!" She says, and Callie's eyes jolt open and narrow suspiciously.

"Where?" Callie asks, and Arizona ignores the question, grabbing onto a soft hand and pulling Callie towards the door. She ignores the jolt of electricity that runs through her body as she makes contact with Callie, and opens the treehouse door. The sun is high in the sky, and Arizona can tell it's going to be a scorcher. She scrambles down the ladder and waits at the base for Callie to scramble down after her. Then she leads her to the river, which shines brilliantly under the sunlight. Pointing to the water, Arizona turns to Callie and smiles.

"Fancy a bath?"

Callie laughs and shoots her a look of total confusion.

"Are you calling me dirty?"

Arizona considers saying no, but she's not one for lies, and she knows Callie will feel a thousand times better when she doesn't smell like, well, not good.

"Um, yeah, pretty much."

"Hm, well I respect your honesty. But honestly, that water is going to be freezing, so no way. Plus I have no bathing suit. I forgot to pack that when I made my hasty escape."

Callie jokes, but Arizona can see the her discomfort behind the jokes. Arizona rolls her eyes at Callie, and strips off her shirt and pants. Once again, Callie looks completely shocked, and maybe a little interested? _Stop it Arizona, that's wishful thinking._ Without another word, she slides down the side of the bank and is suddenly up to her knees in cold water. She'd expected it to be freezing, but the river is low and it's been very sunny for the last couple weeks, so the water isn't too bad.

"See? It's no big deal." Arizona shouts, closing her eyes and tilting her face up to the sun, spinning in small circles. Her small circles turn her dizzy quickly, and next thing she knows she's falling into the water with a splash.

**Callie's POV**

The girl is absolutely crazy. Crazy enough to strip down with a complete stranger and catapult herself into what she can only imagine is freezing water. The girl is absolutely crazy, but for some reason Callie feels like she could trust her with everything. How many people in the world would hide a runaway from their parents, sneak out to bring her food, and then strip down and jump into a river just to coax someone to do the same? Not many. But Arizona does it with this crazy energy. This energy that Callie is impossibly attracted to in every single way. As she watches Arizona spin like a maniac in the water until she gets dizzy and topples over, she realizes just how full of life the girl is. She reminds Callie of the person she used to be before all of the crap in her life wore her down to this quiet, distrustful person. But watching Arizona come up for air out of the water, golden hair wet and tumbling down her shoulders, blue eyes wide with excitement and life, she finds that she wants to throw away her inhibitions and enjoy herself for just one sunny afternoon. She peels off her dirty shirt and pants, and slides down the bank into the water, which is admittedly warmer than expected. Not far away, a soaking wet Arizona claps happily and sends a splash Callie's way.

"Do not splash me, Smiley!" Callie shouts, which results in mock anger from Arizona and an even bigger splash of water. Callie races after Arizona, who continues to splash her as she back steps away from her.

"Can't catch me, I'm super speedy!" Arizona shouts with confidence. Callie just laughs and propels forward, leaping at the last minute and catching Arizona around the waist and pulling her down. When Arizona struggles out of her grip and they lift their upper bodies out of the water, they both laugh. Arizona's face is inches from her own, and for the first time since they met yesterday, she realizes just how amazing Arizona's eyes are. And then her eyes are traveling downward and she's staring at lips that look like they'd be really amazing to kiss. And then she's shaking her head and wondering where all of that came from.

"Calliope?" Arizona says, and it's a soft whisper. Callie has never heard her name whispered so softly, and it makes her badass demeanor crumble and melt away.

"Yes?" She whispers back, still aware of just how close they are.

"What are you running from?" Arizona asks. Callie's immediate response is to run, to get far, far away. But those blue eyes are soft and caring, and she's tired of being alone in her struggles.

"I'm running from...everything. If that makes any sense to you." Callie says, because it's the truth. She's running from everything her life was, from everyone that was in it. Arizona nods knowingly and her eyes dip down to focus on her own hands.

"I know what running from everything is. Let me guess, your parent or parents stopped being parents long ago. And no one at school notices that you have bags under your eyes or that sometimes you've got bruises. And maybe your parents have an addiction, or your mom has a boyfriend who likes to come home and take advantage of you. So in the end, you just run from it all, because there's no aspect of your life that you want to be a part of anymore."

Arizona's carefree happiness has washed away, and right now her brows are knitted together, as if she feels pain at talking about it. And Callie can't do anything but nod, because yes, she does know.

"My mom. My mom stopped being a parent a long time ago. I don't know my dad, he left when I was a baby. One day my mom is hanging in there and the next day she's hanging onto the bottle and bringing home these horrible guys. And suddenly the little things like Santa or my birthday don't matter, because it's about survival."

"How old were you? When it all changed?" Arizona asks.

"Nine." Callie answers, and Arizona smiles sadly. Callie wonders how old Arizona was when it all happened to her, but she realizes it doesn't matter, because any age is heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry." Arizona says, and Callie nods and looks into deep blue eyes.

"I'm sorry too."

The moment is broken up when a giant shiver runs through Arizona's body, and Callie laughs a hearty laugh.

"Maybe we should get out, before we get pneumonia?" Callie says, and Arizona nods in agreement. They both scramble up the shore and race to the treehouse in their under garments, giggling like crazy.

In the treehouse, they wrap Callie's blankets around them, not worrying about getting them wet, because Arizona can always bring new ones out to the treehouse. Arizona's shivering ceases and they sit on the floor, enjoying each others company.

"So how old were you when the Robbins' adopted you?" Callie asks curiously.

"Well, I was ten when I ran away from home. My mom had been losing the battle to an addiction to Crystal Meth for the past five years. One day I just snapped, she brought home a guy and started cooking and I lost it. Just ran out. A hiker found me in the woods a couple weeks later. My mom surrendered me to foster care, so I was in foster home for a year or so before I landed in the Robbins' house. They were my foster parents for two years, and then they decided to legally adopt me. I was thirteen when everything got confirmed."

"Was it weird, having a new set of parents?" Callie asked curiously, she couldn't imagine how weird it would be to be raised by new people who hadn't known her her whole life.

"You know, I'd always imagined it would be, when I was ten or so going through it all. But no, with them, it felt right. They were so loving and patient with me, that I felt really loved and appreciated. And Timmy was just so sweet, so excited to have me around, that I felt genuinely loved. So when they said they'd like to adopt me, I was thrilled more than anything, because Timmy felt like a brother and they felt like my parents. I mean, I miss my mom a lot, but I'm grateful for this second chance at a normal life."

"That's...well that's amazing." Callie says, because she can't say much more. She can't imagine anyone ever wanting her. She's not sunny and happy like Arizona, she's darker, she's damaged. And who wants a damaged sixteen, almost seventeen year old?

"Hey, I know that look. Look at me. Do you really think I was all smiles and jokes at eleven when I ended up in their house? I was terrified, and angry and distrustful. I hardly spoke and I never smiled. It takes time. You don't go through what we go through and come out smiling right away."

Callie finds herself even more in awe of Arizona, because she's a fighter. Becoming a sunny and smiling person after the things they'd both been through was incredible.

"You're strong then. Because I'm pretty sure I'm never going to get there."

Arizona snorts in the most incredulous fashion, and locks eyes with Callie.

"Are you kidding me? You've been struggling for a lot longer than me. And today you giggled and laughed and played, totally carefree, with someone you met yesterday! Half naked, might I add. Calliope, you need to give yourself more credit."

_Because you bring that out in me,_ Callie thinks, but she doesn't say anything. Instead she just smiles and pulls her blanket tighter around her body. Thinking that maybe, just maybe, finding this treehouse was the best thing that's ever happened to her.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks everyone for the amazing reviews and kind words. Hopefully you've all started to recover from the season finale by reading lots of fluffy fanfics! That being said, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! :)

**Arizona's POV**

Callie was going to kill her, but she couldn't keep secrets from Tim any longer. She'd been a mess for the last week, and she was almost certain secret-keeping was to blame for the B she'd gotten on her biology test. So here she was, in Tim's car, waiting for him to finish gassing up, twirling her thumbs and trying to find a nonchalant way to say "there's a runaway in our treehouse, and I really like her!". Because she really did like Callie. She understood Callie, and Callie understood her. In a way that only people who had experienced a life like they had could. But it was more than that. She liked Callie in a way that made her stomach turn and her skin goose bump. And she found that for the first time in her life, all of her thoughts were consumed by Callie. It was a foreign feeling, but she welcomed it in, because the thought of Callie made her feel warm and delighted. And, if she was being honest, those curves of hers were insanely sexy.

"Who you daydreaming about?" Tim's voice interrupted, and Arizona felt her face get hot with embarrassment.

"No one!" She shot back, very unconvincingly. Tim laughed and raised his eyebrows in a _yeah-right_ kind of way, and put the keys in the ignition. The car roared to life and Arizona bit her lip. _Now or never._

"So, I have to tell you something." She said casually, and Tim jerked the car back into park, having barely moved ten feet.

"Yes! I knew you'd break!" He shouted, quietening when Arizona glared at him.

"I need you to take this seriously!" Arizona said, and Tim's face changed from one of excitement to one of extreme seriousness.

"I promise."

"This isn't one of those little things. I mean, it's not that big, but like, it's sort of big at the same time. It won't change our lives, well, I mean, it sort of can. It might be-"

Tim interrupted her with an index finger to his mouth.

"Shh. Arizona, chill out. You're rambling. Just spit it out."

"There's a runaway living in our treehouse and I really like her and I've been sneaking food out of the kitchen and bringing it to her."

Tim's eyebrows knitted together in total confusion and he signaled for her to stop again.

"Woah, I'm sorry, what?"

"There's a runaway living in our-"

"I got that part Arizona, I'm not deaf. Just, what?"

Arizona could see him processing, so she gave him a second before she decided to continue.

"Her name is Callie Torres. She's a year older than me, so a year younger than you. She's on the run. She's sweet and kind, and she gets me."

_I don't think the fact that she gets me is necessary information in this situation_, Arizona reminded herself.

"You've been keeping a person in our treehouse? Like a human..pet?" Tim said, and Arizona laughed at the ridiculousness of the sentence.

"No, not like a pet! Like a human being who needs help because she's had every single terrible thing thrown at her."

"Arizona, she can't live in our treehouse! We have to call someone to help her out."

Arizona Robbins was a calm person, a kind person. But not when someone wasn't understanding her. And if she'd learnt anything about having a sibling, it was that you could snap at them and they'd still love you. So she snapped.

"No! Do not do that. You can't call someone, because then she's going to be sent home, or to foster care, or worse, she'll end up on welfare somewhere working a part time job trying to come up with rent money!"

Tim sighed.

"Yeah, but what's she gonna do, live in our treehouse forever? You know she can't do that, Arizona."

"I know Tim. I haven't figured it all out. But I can't turn her in."

"Why not?"

Tears always hit Arizona at the most awful times. And now was one of those moments.

"Because that could very easily be me!"

The silence in the car seems to stretch on forever, but Tim looks like he's finally understanding her.

"Listen, I'll never hold the fact that you got a good life against you. I can't, I wish everyone got amazing parents. But people like Callie and I? We got dealt shit. We got dealt addicted mom's and runaway dad's. We didn't do anything to deserve it! We were just **born** into it. The only difference between me and Callie is that I snapped earlier, and that I ended up with you guys. What if I'd stuck around longer? What if I'd run away last week instead of six years ago?"

Arizona can tell she's won the battle, because Tim is nodding, but she can't stop, not yet.

"Imagine that it was me in that treehouse. Just, imagine it."

Tim nods, and wipes tears from Arizona's eyes with a big smile that comforts her.

"I'm in."

Matching smiles split onto their faces as Tim pulls Arizona into a crushing hug.

"Thank you Timmy."

**Callies POV**

It's been a little over a week since Arizona first found her in the treehouse, and given that she's on the run with no future prospects, it's been a wonderful week. On the days Arizona was in school, Callie roamed the woods, collecting berries and cutting a path from Arizona's house to the treehouse. She tried to keep as busy as she could when Arizona was away, but she found herself thinking a lot. Thinking about Arizona, mostly. She was without a doubt the kindest, warmest, and most real person Callie had ever met. _And gosh, those eyes._ There was something about her, and that ridiculous dimpled smile that cracked every wall she'd put up and left her wide open and raw. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. It terrified her because she was terrified to care. She'd learnt that caring meant opening yourself up to the possibility to be hurt, to be let down. And her past history of terrible let downs made her desperate never to be vulnerable. But Arizona, Arizona made her want to throw down her walls and burst out and take risks despite any kind of pain that might come from it. It was reckless and thoughtless, she hated it, but she couldn't help it. She wasn't even sure that she wanted to help it. She was sure she should have been more terrified about having these feelings for another person, but it wasn't terrifying. It felt rather simple.

"Stop whining, look! She cleared the path because you were too busy making out with your girlfriend to do it! So be nice."

Arizona's voice floats up from down below, and Callie races to the door in confusion. _Who the hell is she talking to?_

Her question is answered when she throws the door open and sets eyes on a tall, muscular blonde following closely behind. She doesn't have to ask to know who it is. Tim looks exactly like what she pictured in her head when Arizona described him. Tall, muscular, blonde with freckles and deep blue eyes. If she didn't know Arizona was adopted, she'd have sworn they were siblings. Matching blue eyes, blonde hair, and pale skin. The only difference between them is Tim's freckles and straight hair. Callie goes straight into panic mode, because she didn't expect to meet anyone other than Arizona anytime soon.

"Wait here, I'll be out soon." She hears Arizona say from the bottom of the treehouse, and seconds later a blonde head pops through the doorway. She's in jean shorts and a blue tank top, and it feels impossible to not stare. Her blue eyes are apologetic the second they lock onto Callie's, and Callie can't help but smile.

"Hey." She says, and it's breathless and quiet, because that's the effect Arizona has on her.

"Hey." Arizona answers, and for a second they are trapped in the most intense eye contact. It takes a shout from Tim to break them out of the moment, Arizona shaking her head as if to clear it.

"So I take it that's Tim?" Callie comments, trying to keep herself in check. She's terrified, and she knows that Arizona can see it under her calm exterior. Every extra person that she meets is a new person that could sell her out. Another person that could call the cops or child services. Every single person is a new link to the outside world she so desperately fled from weeks ago.

"Yes, Calliope, I am so so sorry, but I couldn't keep it secret anymore."

Arizona's blue eyes are brought to life by her blue shirt, and Callie finds that she can't even muster up the energy to be upset. Is she nervous? Yes. But angry? No. Not at Arizona. Not when those amazing blue eyes are so full of kindness and compassion. When Callie tunes back in, she realizes Arizona is still rambling, and it's both adorable and endearing at the same time.

"Arizona, it's okay. I understand."

Callie is rewarded with the most magnificent dimpled smile. Followed by a very unexpected hug. Before she's processed the smell of Arizona's hair and the feeling of her body against her, the hug is over. Then a soft hand reaches out and grabs her own, and she's being pulled towards the ladder. When she climbs to the bottom, there stands Tim. He stands there, almost awkwardly, having some sort of sibling conversation without the use of words with Arizona, who's glaring at him.

"Um, hello." He says awkwardly, covering it up with a massive grin.

"Tim, are you kidding me? You have every girl at school drooling over your feet and the best you've got is "um, hello?" Arizona chastises, and Callie can't help but laugh at the look Tim throws his sister.

"To be fair, this is my first runaway hiding out in my childhood treehouse!" He replies, and Arizona looks shocked and appalled, and punches him in the arm. He mocks pain and shrugs his shoulders, smiling at Callie.

"Oh, well then you've been missing out, we're the best kind." Callie comments, throwing a wink at Tim, who laughs and wraps a long arm around his sister.

"See, sis? She can take it." Tim comments, and Arizona's bottom lip sticks out in the most adorable pout in the world. "Yeah, that face? Won my parents over in like 2 seconds flat. Meanwhile I'm over here with my ugly mutt just trying to get some attention!"

His tone is light and joking, and Callie can't help but like him. She can see the protectiveness over Arizona already, and she likes that. She also likes the way he jokes around with her. It makes her feel a little less like a runaway and a little more like a friend or a family member.

"Well, you two chat. I have to pop into the house quickly before Mom and Dad get home from work and get some supper for Callie." Arizona says, taking the time to stop and give Tim the "be good" look.

He smiles at her innocently, and she rolls her eyes and stomps off in the direction of the house, taking a second to smile at Callie before she disappears.

"So, you're living in my treehouse, huh?" Tim says, and they both laugh as soon a the sentence leaves his mouth.

"It would appear so. By the way, I'm sorry that Arizona had to lie to you, I know she hates doing that."

Tim sits down on the forest floor, cross legged, pulling bark from a branch.

"No, it's okay. I get it. She needs the practice anyway, she's a terrible liar."

They share another laugh, and then they sit in silence. Tim continues to peel bark off the branch, but his eyebrows are knitted together. Finally, after a comfortable bout of silence, he speaks.

"She's an amazing person, you know. So if she trusts you, then I trust you."

They don't look at each other, but Callie can hear the sincerity in his voice.

"She's pretty incredible." Callie agrees, picturing blonde curls and sweet dimpled smiles. _She's just about perfect._

"She was a lot different when I first met her." Tim says, and Callie doesn't say anything in response. If he chooses to share, that's his call. She would never make him talk about anything he didn't want to.

"She was like.. ten when I met her. She looked a lot like she does now, only smaller, and she didn't smile much, you know? I don't think we even knew she had dimples until a year later. She was so quiet, always in her head. I was twelve and I was loud and impulsive and unaware of the world. But Arizona...Arizona was aware. Too aware. It was like she forgot how to be a kid. She never played, she never acted bratty or ate too much candy. She was calculated. She was in control. I remember one night my parents left us alone together and I had gotten all this candy from the store and I wanted to jump on the bed. And she just stared at me, not a smile, and shook her head. I think it broke my heart. Because she was ten. And ten year olds love candy and jumping on the bed! So I dragged her onto that bed and I made her jump, and we jumped for hours. Then I gave her my candy and we giggled until my parents came home. That's the day I realized how precious it was to get her trust. Arizona doesn't hand it out easily. Not after everything she's been through. And I know it's deceiving, because she's sunny and happy and bubbly now. But she still doesn't trust easy. And you've known her a week and a bit, and she trusts you. So just, cherish it. And I really hope you aren't a crazy axe murderer on the loose or something."

Callie wipes a stray tear from her eye and takes a deep breath.

"I'm not." She says, because it's all she can manage to say right now.

She's even more in awe of Arizona. It's easy to be pushed down by life and give in and be miserable and distrustful in life. Running is the easy part, believe it or not. It's the trusting, the friendship and openness that's hard. She stands by her earlier convictions that Arizona is the most amazing girl she's met in her life.

"Well, good talk. If you tell Arizona I told you all of that, I'll have to take my treehouse back, by the way."

The charged atmosphere settles back into one of laughter and general comfort at that comment, and Callie sighs happily. She could get used to spending her days with both Robbins'.

"Wow, you're a hard ass. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Callie responds, and Tim reaches out and pats her on the back.

"Awesome. Oh and Callie?"

"Yeah?"

"The girls really do drool at my feet."

They laugh about that one for quite awhile.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you everybody for the lovely reviews, they are much appreciated. I know everything is very fluffy and happy right now, but trust me, I've got a big plan, and it's got twists and turns! (I feel like I should say DRAMA! THRILLS! for JCap's sake). So enjoy the happiness while it lasts! :)

**Callies POV**

"Where's Tim?" Callie asked, sitting on the small front porch of the treehouse with her legs dangling off the side. Arizona was halfway up the steps, concentrating on taking the steps one at a time and not falling.

"Date." She answered, breathing heavily. They had hit a very hot spell that was rare for late May, and the short walk to the treehouse was enough to get anyone breathing heavily. Although the heat was excessive and Callie felt like she couldn't escape it, she was thankful for it. Because hot weather meant shorts and tank tops, and Arizona in both of those things was something she definitely enjoyed.

"Are him and his girlfriend still fighting?"

"Haven't heard any late night phone fights in the last couple days, so they must be doing better."

Arizona reached the top and plopped down on the tiny makeshift porch, letting her legs dangle next to Callie's. Her pale legs contrasted Callie's darker ones perfectly.

"You're pasty." Callie commented, and Arizona stuck out her tongue and smiled.

"Not everyone can be a tanned goddess like you, Calliope." Arizona stated, causing Callie to break eye contact and nervously play with her hair. _Why can I never think of a single bad ass or witty thing to say when she talks to me! _

Arizona just smiled and moved on, saving Callie the trouble of coming up with a response.

"So, I have a killer idea. You just need to say yes."

Callie narrowed her eyes, knowing fully well that Arizona's ideas walked a fine line between genius and totally idiotic.

"Don't look at me like that, it's a good one! Tim even agreed!"

"You made the pouty face at him, didn't you?"

Arizona smiled mischievously, and then switched her face to the pout in question. _No wonder she's got everyone wrapped around her finger._

"I might have. But the important thing is, he got on board!"

"What exactly does this plan entail?" Callie asked cautiously. If it involved parents or going into town, it was not happening.

"You're going to come spend the weekend in the house with Timmy and I!" Arizona blurted out excitedly, blue eyes wide with excitement. Arizona started talking again before Callie could even start to say no.

"Before you say no, my parents are away for the whole weekend. And the weather is supposed to be icky, so I figured, why not have you come visit! You can just sleep in my room, and you can watch tv and movies! Think about it. Air conditioning...queen size bed...shower..."

Callie wanted to say no. Like everything she agreed to lately, she wanted to say no. But the problem was Arizona. The problem was adorable dimpled smiles and sparkling blue eyes. Because every single time she opened her mouth to say no, what came out was yes.

"Alright."

Arizona clapped her hands together and cheered, reaching over to pull Callie into a hug. This time, it wasn't over before Callie could process it happening. This time, it lingered, it lasted. And she had the opportunity to smell Arizona's perfume and bury her nose in the crook of her neck. It felt comforting, a comfort the likes of which she hadn't ever experienced in her life. She felt completely safe, wrapped up in the arms of a girl she'd met only two weeks ago. And gosh, did Arizona ever smell good. Like summer and fresh grass and every happy memory in her life rolled into one. When they finally let go, they didn't pull back to their separate sides. They didn't speak. Callie just looked, calmly, into the blue eyes that had been hijacking all of her thoughts. She wanted to lean in, to close the space between their lips. But she found that she couldn't. It's like they were frozen in the moment, both unable to make a move but both finally understanding that their feelings were more mutual than either had expected. Just when Callie finally got up the nerve to do it, to finally lean in and forget about anything horrible that could happen if she did it, Tim's voice cut through the quiet like a knife.

"What are you guys doing?"

They both jumped and spun away from one another. Callie could feel her cheeks getting flushed, but Arizona was much worse. Her entire face was beet red, and she looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Nothing!" Arizona squealed out, in a voice that was winded and high pitched.

"Just talking." Callie added, more calmly, keeping herself in check.

Tim nodded and shrugged, putting Arizona at ease, but Callie caught the little smirk across his lips. Tim Robbins was an expert at figuring people out. And Callie knew without a shadow of a doubt that he knew exactly what kind of moment they'd been having, but she was happy to act as though he was unaware.

"Sure. Did you ask her yet?"

"I did! She said yes!" Arizona shouted down, clapping her hands together excitedly once again, causing Callie to smile. _How is she simultaneously cute and sexy at the exact same time?_

"Good! Would you guys come down please? There's no room for the three of us to hang off the edge like that and I need some girl advice."

Arizona rolled her eyes and shook her head, gesturing to Callie to go down first, as she was closer to the ladder. Sighing, Callie resisted the urge to start screaming. That close to finally getting to kiss Arizona, and Tim interrupts them. If this was what siblings were good for, she was suddenly very happy for her lack of them in her life. Of course, she was being ridiculous. She adored Tim. At the bottom, they sat on the ground in a circle and listened to Tim's newest drama.

"See, here's the thing, I like Michelle. A lot. She's pretty smart, she's hot, she's read a book or two. But..." He trails off, and Arizona rolls her eyes.

"But you love Teddy?" She said impatiently, twirling a piece of golden hair around her finger. Callie laughed as Tim looked at her incredulously.

"How did you know?" He shouted, blue eyes wide. Arizona burst into laughter, uncrossing her legs and laying back, eyes up to the sky. Callie just watched, amused and attentive, as Arizona struggled back into sitting position, still cackling.

"Timmy, seriously? She's your best friend. She sees right through all the charm and the all American boy act. She makes you work for it. You can't impress her with boyish smiles and arm muscles. She expects more. And you like her BECAUSE she expects more. Because you like that she knows there's more under all that...boy stuff."

The words "boy stuff" are said with a look of disgust and a nonchalant wave of a hand, and Callie watches as Tim struggles not to comment. But Callie throws him a warning glance, and Tim complies. Now is not the time for the coming out moment. Callie's only known Arizona two weeks, but she can tell she's the type of person who'd want to have that type of conversation with her brother in private.

"But it's Teddy! There's no way she likes me like that. She's my best friend!"

"So?" Callie interrupts, and two pairs of blue eyes turn to focus on her. "So what if she's your best friend?"

"You don't date best friends." Tim states, and Arizona nods in agreement.

"Why not?" Callie challenges, and both Robbins' look at her, completely stumped. They make an adorable pair of siblings, with their pensive blue eyes and knitted eyebrows.

"Exactly. The love of your life SHOULD be your best friend. It should be someone who sees you and knows you. Someone who sees more than what you put on display. It's easy to be your sunday best all the time, and it's easy for someone to fall in love with that. But from what I can tell, Teddy sees you for you. That's rare."

Callie doesn't miss the look Arizona is giving her. Tim is smiling, mulling it over, weighing his odds with Teddy. But Arizona is giving her a look that is completely new to Callie. It's a mix of awe and admiration. It's a look that says "you amaze me", and it's unexpected and completely overwhelming, and Callie finds that she can't form any more thoughts. She's very glad she's made her point, because had she not, she would have forgotten her point. Tim has noticed the eye contact going on, because out of the corner of her eye, Callie sees him roll his eyes and fall onto his back in exasperation.

"Right, well, thanks for the help." He mutters, pulling himself onto his feet and treading lazily in the direction of the house. "Arizona, we have to go say bye to Mom and Dad."

Arizona nods and stands up, brushing stray leaves from her legs and butt.

"Alright, I'm coming. Callie, we'll be back when they leave to fetch you for the sleepover weekend!"

Arizona looks like a kid on christmas morning, which makes Callie wonder what Arizona is like on a christmas morning. _A whole lot of dimples, I bet._

"Have fun!" Callie shouts, and she watches Arizona run up and hip bump her brother, sending him toppling over into the grass. When Tim stands up, he races after his sister and throws her over his shoulder, causing her to scream. Callie watches them retreat, allowing herself to feel a little bit of excitement about the impending sleepover weekend.

**Arizona's POV**

They'd almost kissed.

Almost.

It had been driving her nuts ever since.

Of all of the moments Tim had to show up, it had to be right then. It had to be the second she was about to take a leap and just lean in a-

"Arizona, honey, are you listening?" Barbara Robbins interrupted Arizona's thoughts.

"What? Oh, yeah." Arizona lied. What had her Mom been talking about? _Something about emergency contacts?_

"I made lots of leftovers for you and Tim. And I made some extras in case Teddy or a friend of yours came over."

_Emergency contacts? Waaay off._

"Thank you."

"Timothy, come here." Barbara shouted to Tim, who was in the kitchen. He strolled to the front door, casually eating his way through a bag of salt and vinegar chips. "We haven't even left yet, and you're already into the chips! Save some for your sister." She chastised, and Tim rolled his eyes and threw a ship at Arizona. Arizona caught it and popped it in her mouth, throwing her brother a cocky grin.

"Mom, don't worry. It'll be fine." Tim said, pulling out his innocent smile and comforting blue eyes to ease his mothers fears.

"Remember, lock the doors, don't have a party. Arizona, you'll watch over him?"

Arizona ignored the look of outrage crossing her brothers face and nodded sweetly.

"Excuse me, I'm the oldest!" Tim shouted, causing both women to laugh. A beep from the truck alerted them to their fathers impatience, and Barbara took a deep breath and hugged Tim again. Then she pulled Arizona in for a hug and planted a big kiss on her cheek.

"Be good. I'll see you on Monday. Get to school on time!" The last line was followed by the slamming of the door and a sigh of relief from Tim.

"Party time!" Tim whispered, playfully punching Arizona and stuffing a handful of chips in his mouth. Arizona laughed and reached into the bag, having a couple chips herself.

Tim looked at her like she'd grown eight heads, and Arizona held out her hands in a "what?" type of gesture.

"You gonna stand here, or are you gonna go get your girl?" Tim said through a mouthful of chips. Arizona felt her cheeks flush red, and she bit her lip to try and remain cool.

"She's not my girl, she's my friend."

Tim arched his eyebrows and tilted his head at her.

"Arizona, really? We're going to do this?"

Feigning innocent and confusion, Arizona took two steps backward.

"Do what?"

Tim blinked slowly and didn't speak. Just gave her a look that told her that they both knew exactly what he was talking about.

"You know." Arizona said sadly, surprised when Tim didn't dance around at having won the battle, but instead stood there, eyes sad.

"Why do you sound sad?" He commented, his voice soft. Just like it had when she'd first met him, his voice comforted her and made her want to let it all go.

"Because...Seriously?! I get dealt a meth addicted mother, a runaway dad, AND being gay? That's just, seriously?"

Tim took two steps forward, until he was close enough to tilt Arizona's face up to look at him.

"Arizona, gosh, being gay isn't bad."

Arizona snorted and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. She hadn't ever heard someone say it. _Gay. _She'd never even had the nerve to say it to herself.

"Do you live on this planet? Have you heard what people say?"

"People are horrible. People are horrible and scary and they hurt each other without mercy. But you, Arizona, you are kind and compassionate and loving and you do it all despite a shit storm of obstacles. People can hold up their damn signs and say it isn't God's will, and that's on them. I don't buy it for a second. So I don't ever, for even one second, want you to think that being who you are is bad. Or unnatural, or wrong. It's as right as me loving Teddy, or Mom loving Dad, or anyone else loving one another. Life sucks, and you know that better than most of us. And the only shot we have in the dark at making it count is by falling madly in love with someone else. That's it. And I'll be dammed if we're going to start telling people who they can't fall in love with."

Arizona lost it at that, and tears started to flow down her cheeks. She made it a point not to cry in front of people, she hated it. But she'd been terrified for awhile now, tiptoeing around Tim and her parents. _What if they don't want me when they find out I'm gay?_ The thought had crossed her mind more times than she could count. Somehow knowing she had Tim on her side made her feel better. Made her feel like she wasn't totally alone.

"Thank you." She whispered into Tim's chest as he pulled her into a big hug. He was strong and comforting, a steady presence in her life that she could depend on.

"No problem. I love you, sis." He whispered back, squeezing her a little bit tighter. Eventually, when Arizona's tears stopped and the moment started to fade, Tim smiled and let her go.

"Now, are you going to go get that girl of yours, or what?"

Arizona smiled and grinned. Because, yes, she most definitely was going to go get the girl.


	6. Chapter 6

**Arizonas POV**

Over the fence, up the path, around the bend, across the river. On a regular day it was a short walk, a nice, easy walk. But right now it seemed like the longest path to Callie she'd ever walked. _You're not going to say anything. You're just going to walk up and kiss her. _If she talked she'd get nervous and psych herself out, and she didn't want to do that. She wanted to act and think later, because she was sure that later, she'd be pretty thrilled that she acted. It made her crazy just thinking about it, thinking about kissing Callie. Thinking about holding Callie's hand or pushing jet black hair from her eyes. It was Callie. Sweet, understanding, adorable Callie. Callie who understood her pain, Callie who understood her demons. Callie who made her want to talk about things she'd never talked about before. Everything was Callie, all the time, and Arizona found that she didn't mind one bit.

And suddenly there she was. There Callie was. At the bottom of the tree, running her tanned hands over the engraving in the tree, lost in thought. Then she turned, and leaned against the tree, taking in the sun hanging low in the sky. She looked amazing, lit in a bath of natural light. Arizona lingered on the edge of the clearing, suddenly having lost all of her energy, all of her gust. She was a little breathless, watching Callie whistle and stare up at the sun. And then the moment was over, and Arizona's confidence was back, and she was marching across that clearing with more purpose than she'd ever had in her life. When Callie saw her and took in her serious face, she looked confused.

"Arizona, what are-"

Callie never finished her sentence, because Arizona's lips swallowed her words. Whatever fears Arizona had been having melted away when she felt Callie kiss back. And suddenly she knew that this was right, this was absolutely perfect, and she didn't give a damn what anyone ever said. It was a kiss that was light and timid, but it took her breath away. It literally stole the air from her lungs and made her skin goose bump. It was over far too soon, and Arizona found that she didn't want to open her eyes. Reality sucked. She wanted to stay in the dreamlike world she entered when she kissed Callie.

"Wow." Arizona heard Callie whisper, and it was a breathless whisper.

"Wow." Arizona whispered back, opening her eyes. Callie leaned her forehead against Arizona's and smiled. And, as per always, Arizona's cheeks flushed red in a mix of nervousness and embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't of just, like, attacked you. I just, I really-" An index finger to her lips stopped her from rambling any more, and Callie just smiled and leaned in again, pressing the softest of kisses to Arizona's lips.

"Attack me. Attack me all the time, every day. I'm all for it." Callie whispered, eyes closed, head nodding very seriously. Arizona giggled and pulled away, because the sun was setting and they needed to get to the house. And if she kissed Callie again, she'd probably never leave the damn forest. They'd find her out here, days later, in the same spot, starving but totally content.

**Callies POV**

She had not expected Arizona to kiss her. She'd honestly had no idea it was coming. One second Arizona was marching up to her, looking a mix of determined and nervous, and the next she was kissing her. There are all these quotes and these stories about first kisses, about how amazing and mind blowing they were and Callie hadn't ever believed in them. When she was fourteen she'd kissed Brock, the awkward boy who was the closest she had to a friend. And it had not been amazing. It had been as simple as two people pressing their lips together and thinking "wow, that's it?". Then she'd gone about her life and wondered, in passing, why people were so desperate to be paired up when kissing was so boring.

It wasn't boring.

Arizona had kissed her much like she had kissed Brock, a couple years ago. Both kisses had been soft, tentative, new. But the similarities ended there. Because with Arizona, Callie was on fire. Her mind was on fire, her body was on fire. It felt like she was experiencing everything all at once. It felt like the most beautiful song and the most gorgeous sunset. It was that defining moment where she couldn't in any way deny the attraction and connection to Arizona. It was there. Pulling back felt wrong, like they should definitely just keep kissing. For a very long time. And then Arizona was rambling, like she always did, and Callie silenced her. _How is she speaking right now? I'm still over here catching my breath. _And Callie couldn't resist the urge to close the space between them and kiss her softly again.

"Attack me. Attack me all the time, every day. I'm all for it." Callie had whispered, slightly out of breath. And wasn't that the truth. Arizona had giggled, and the sound of her happiness bubbling out in the melody of a laugh was addictive.

So now, here she was, walking silently along the path back to Tim and Arizona's, wanting desperately to hold Arizona's hand.

"Callie, what is it?" Arizona asked, stopping them both to look intently at Callie.

"Nothing." Callie answered. _She kissed you, obviously you can hold her hand. Right?_

Then Arizona's face dropped, like she just realized something.

"Oh." Her face fell completely, and she blinked those blue eyes rapidly a couple of times and then they dropped to the ground. Callie, admittedly, was not the best at reading people. So it took a couple of seconds to realize that Arizona was thinking her awkwardness was related to the kiss.

"Oh! No! No, no. Arizona, I'm not being quiet or awkward because of what happened."

Blue eyes shot up to her face, and she smiled, rather shyly, at the blonde.

"I was um, I was wondering if I was allowed to hold your hand. That's all." She wished her voice didn't sound so small and cautious. Callie Torres had been through an addicted mother, abusive men and a drug lord father who ran away when she was tiny. She was tough, and confident and cold. And a dimpled, sixteen year old, blue-eyed blonde had, in barely a month, turned her into a awkward, nervous, cautious mess. Callie was in the middle of feeling a little bit upset with herself for getting so soft, when Arizona's face broke into a smile. And suddenly she understood why she was getting so soft. _For that million dollar smile, right there. _Watching Arizona's face light up was like a drug she just couldn't get enough of.

"Oh, well why didn't you say that! I would be honored to hold your hand, Calliope." And Arizona, being the more confident one in the pair, as always, reached out and grabbed Callie's hand. Then Arizona took off down the path again, dragging Callie behind her, who was still smiling a goofy smile.

"Alright, so up there is my house, you can see it!"

And see it, she could. It was a small house, white with blue shutters and an old swing set in the backyard. As they drew nearer, she could hear some old rock and roll filling the air.

"Tim likes to rock out when he's alone." Arizona explained, laughing at her brothers antics.

"I like his music taste." Callie said, and Arizona looked surprised and looked her up and down.

"Old rock?" Arizona said in shock, mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Don't look so surprised." Callie responded, squeezing Arizona's hand. "What did you think I listened to?"

Arizona never answers the question, because Tim's head pops up in the window. He points to them and forms a heart with his hands, followed by a wink. Callie watches Arizona's face flush from the attention, but she doesn't relinquish her hold on Callie's hand. Tim opens the window and pokes his head out, blonde hair sticking out in all directions.

"About time, you two!" He shouts from the upstairs window, a room which Callie assumes is his bedroom.

"Shut up Tim!" Arizona shouts back, and Tim grins, before slamming his window shut and disappearing from sight. Seconds later, he comes out of the back door, in checkered pajama pants, long legs striding out towards them.

"Hey, is it cool if I invite Teddy over? We don't have to tell her anything about Callie. We can just call her a friend or something."

Callie tenses up, and she knows Arizona has felt it.

"Teddy and I go to the same school Tim. She knows my friends."

"So Callie goes to a different school. Or is a friend of yours from your youth. She won't ask questions."

Arizona lets out an exasperated sigh, "It's Teddy. She always asks questions."

Tim switches from focusing on his sister to focus on Callie. Then he opens his blue eyes wide and sticks out his bottom lip. Apparently Arizona taught him well, because he's almost as good at it as she is.

"Callie, please. I broke up with Michelle. For Teddy. And I need to spend some time with her if it's ever going to go anywhere."

Callie hesitated, and Tim didn't even blink.

"Also, you owe me." He adds, throwing in a little smile for good measure. Arizona glares at him and Callie just stares, and Tim sighs.

"Not for the treehouse, man, you two need to relax. For talking Arizona into making a move on you!"

Callie turns to face Arizona, who's glaring at her brother, who looks more amused than scared.

"Oh yeah?" Callie asks jokingly, enjoying watching Arizona squirm and turn red.

"He didn't talk me into it! He just... suggested that it was cool if I did."

Tim nods and claps Callie on the back.

"See? Not only am I a fantastic big brother to Arizona, but I'm also a fantastic honorary big brother to you."

And Callie grinned from ear to ear. Not because Arizona kissed her, or because she's still holding onto that soft hand. No, she smiles because when Tim says "big brother", he means it. He's not looking at her like a stranger who invaded his treehouse, or the girl who's falling for his little sister. He's looking at her as an equal. He's looking at her as a human being that he trusts and cares for unconditionally.

Briefly, she wonders if it was this look, from the depths of his deep blue eyes, that convinced Arizona to let go all those years ago. And then she's fascinated with him as a person, because of his gift, his way of looking at a person and not seeing wounds. To Tim, she isn't Callie the runaway. It's refreshing, to be seen in that way. It's what draws her to Arizona, too. So of course, as she looks from one set of blue eyes to the next, finding that she adores them both, she nods slowly.

"Okay, call Teddy." Callie says, and Tim fist pumps the air and pulls Callie into a hug. Instead of tensing up as she once did, she hugs back. Somewhere out of the corner of her eyes, she sees Arizona smiling affectionately at them both.

"What should I say to her?" Tim asks, letting Callie go to run his fingers through his hair nervously.

"Hey Teddy, you should come over." Arizona responds, shrugging as if it's that obvious. Tim glares at her and turns his attention to Callie.

"What should I say?"

Callie laughs, "I'm with Arizona!".

Arizona smiles proudly, reclaiming Callie's hand in her own.

"That's the big plan?" Tim asks incredulously, his face a shining beacon of disappointment.

Arizona nods, but Callie narrows her eyes, "Wait, okay. Here's what we'll do. We're going to have a fun night, with candy, movies and video games. Treat it as a double date, almost. If I hold Arizona's hand, do something relationship-y that will make her see you as more than her goofy friend."

"I can do that!" Tim exclaims happily, doing a little dance that is so unbelievably goofy, it's almost cute.

"Um, one, don't do that dance for her. Two, Teddy doesn't know I'm gay! Don't you think this is all going to hit her hard?"

Tim snorts and waves a hand, "Teddy knows you're gay. We've been talking about it for years."

Arizona's blue eyes widen and her mouth drops open, and Callie grins at her pure and utter shock.

"What? You knew, all this time? And had little meetings about it?!"

Tim rolled his eyes, "Please, Arizona. You aren't the center of our universes. We didn't hold meetings. It just came up, and we figured you'd tell us eventually."

Arizona still isn't pleased, and her eyebrows mash together in a look of concern, but Callie smiles to her and gives her hand a quick squeeze. Tim has already pulled out his cell phone, and he's waiting silently as it rings.

"Hey Teds! Wanna come over tonight?" His voice comes out calm and natural, but the excessive pacing and nail biting gives him away to anyone who can see him. He listens for a bit, and then rolls his eyes and looks at Arizona.

"No, not to wrestle with Arizona. Hm? Yeah I know you can kick her as- ow!" He's interrupted by a swift punch in the arm from his sister, who looks up at him smugly.

"Yeah, she just punched me. Why'd you teach her to fight? Right, anyways, you should come over-" The next line is whispered as Tim simultaneously dances out of Arizona's reach "-Arizona's got a girlfriend over!"

If Callie had ever felt more embarrassed in her life, she couldn't remember it. And she could tell she wasn't alone in that, because between the shrieks of excitement from Teddy through the phone and the laughs coming from Tim, she could see the reddening of Arizona's cheeks. Of course, the other Callie, the one that was constantly ready to flee, was rearing up and getting ready to race away. But this Callie, the one Arizona brought out in her, the real her, was able to logically decide that there was nothing to run from. They weren't girlfriends. They'd kissed twice. And held hands. They hadn't even talked about what it all meant, they'd only established that they both liked it. _And I definitely like it._

"Yeah, yeah, perfect. See you in ten." Tim hung up the phone and looked excitedly over at them, finding a lack of smiles.

"Oh come on, smile! It's all good! Let's go inside and give Callie a tour before Teddy gets here!"

And off he went, into the house, lost in his own little world of excitement over this possible date evening with Teddy.

Arizona turned to face Callie, and with the softest voice, asked, "Are you sure you're okay with all this? If it's too much, we can go to the treehouse and spend time together there."

Her blue eyes are concerned and kind, and for the millionth time since they met, Callie can't help but smile at how kind a person she is. She's the embodiment of everything Callie's ever wanted, with her loose curls, standing there with kind eyes in her jean shorts. She's staring now, but doesn't really care. She just takes two steps forward, brings one hand to Arizona's cheek, and kisses her. Because she can, because she wants to. Because Arizona cares about her and she adores the look in her blue eyes. But mostly, because Arizona makes her feel like she isn't alone.

Callie Torres has been alone for most of her life. But standing there, kissing soft pink lips, she feels a type of belonging that is entirely new.

And entirely welcome.

"Let's go inside."

**Thanks for all the lovely comments! **


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for the long wait, work has been CRAZY! Thank you again for the lovely comments. :)

**Callie's POV**

Teddy arrived at the Robbins' house seconds after Callie and Arizona came inside, holding bags of snacks, grinning happily.

"You must be Arizona's girlfriend!" She shouted, dropping the bags at the door and wrapping Callie up in a massive hug. Naturally, Callie tensed up and stiffened, but seconds later she relaxed into the hug.

"Not her girlfriend." Callie pointed out, and Arizona nodded in agreement. Teddy didn't seem to notice the difference, just smiled and looked Callie up and down.

"Right. Well, hi! I'm Teddy. If you like these two, you're going to adore me, I'm both of their better halves!"

Tim and Arizona snorted in unison, and Teddy pulled Arizona into a loose headlock and smiled. The more Arizona struggled to get out, the tighter Teddy's grip on the blonde got, until Arizona was huffing and puffing angrily.

"Teds, let go." Tim said, laughing at the anger in his sisters eyes. Teddy rolled her eyes and let go, and Arizona stood up and fixed her hair.

"That was unfair, you had an advantage."

"Keep telling yourself that, blondie." Teddy retorted, picking up the bags she'd brought and holding them open.

"I got sour patch kids, fuzzy peaches, your generic gummy worms, skittles, and pop. Is that good enough?"

Tim nodded and grabbed onto the bag of fuzzy peaches protectively. Arizona beelined for the sour patch kids, and Callie just took in the huge supply of sugar they intended to consume.

"See, we aren't old enough to drink. Well, legally. So, instead we down sugar until we're so hyper, we lose our minds. It's probably just as fun." Tim said, tearing open the bag and popping a fuzzy peach in his mouth.

"Hey! Don't eat them yet!" Arizona scolded, handing Callie a bag of gummy worms. "Do you like gummy worms?"

Callie hadn't had a whole lot of sugary treats in her life, so she was game for whatever they offered her.

"Yeah." She said, and Arizona smiled and snaked her arm around Callie's waist.

"Perfect. So Callie and I will play against Teds and Tim."

"Play?" Callie questioned, and everybody else nodded enthusiastically. Callie followed them into the living room, where they all sat on the floor around a small coffee table.

"Okay, so you and I have gummy worms and sour patch kids. Tim and Teddy have skittles and fuzzy peaches. We dump them all out and count even numbers. You and I are linked, they are linked." Arizona explained, dumping out the contents of her bag of sour patch kids and laying them out on the table in front of them, counting the amount of treats. Once the numbers were sorted, they sat with two piles of candy for each team.

"Alright, so essentially we could have two kinds of candy, but that's boring. Anyways, so Teddy and I are against you two. It's kind of like the game Never Have I Ever. You've probably played it?" Tim said, and Callie nodded. She hadn't played, but she'd seen it played once or twice at a party she'd popped into.

"So we rock, paper, scissors, and the winner-" Teddy picked scissors, Arizona picked rock. "-Right, so Arizona wins, so you guys start. You both say something neither of you has done, and then if both Teddy and I have done it, we put two pieces of candy each back in the bag. If only one of us have done it, then the one who did it loses two pieces, and the other loses one for being guilty by association! If neither of us has, then you guys put two pieces in your bag! BUT if, for example, Arizona says something, but you have actually done it, Callie, then you put one of your candies in the bag!"

Callie nods, it seems straight forward enough.

"What's the point of the game?" She asked.

"To have fun, and to win all the candy!" Tim and Arizona shouted. Arizona was so excited, it was ridiculously adorable. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her blue eyes were wide with excitement. She was sure she'd say it a thousand more times in her life, but Arizona had never looked so beautiful.

"Alright, so we start. Never have I ever done drugs." Arizona states proudly. Callie shakes her head no as well. She assumes they both haven't touched them for very similar reasons. Tim and Teddy both share a look, and simultaneously place two candies in their bags sheepishly.

"What?!" Arizona exclaims, glowering at her brother, who laughs nervously.

"Don't look at me like that! It was one time! And I was with Teddy!" Teddy smiles nervously at Arizona, waiting for the axe to come down.

"Teddy! You're supposed to keep him OUT of trouble!" Arizona says, rolling her eyes at the pair of them. Callie laughs at the blondes exasperation and puts her arm around her, smiling when Arizona leans into her.

"Arizona, it doesn't sound like they're going to become addicted to anything anytime soon." Callie reasons, and Arizona nods slowly.

"True. Well, hopefully it was awful and you both hated it!" She says, and Teddy and Tim both nod in agreement that yes, indeed, it wasn't worth it. Arizona rests her head on Callie's shoulder and smiles.

"Alright then. Your turn."

"Never have I ever kissed a girl." Teddy says, without even waiting for Tim to speak. She stares right at Arizona, and Arizona narrows her eyes and stares back, before throwing two candies in her bag. Callie follows suit, and Tim proudly throws one in his bag as well.

"I knew it. How was it? Did it blow your mind? Oh my god it was with Callie wasn't it!" Teddy asks in rapid fire, and Arizona's eyes widen and she points at Teddy.

"You're dead, Altman."

"Bring it on."

Before Callie can even register what's happening, Arizona is no longer leaning against her, and Teddy and Arizona are locked in a wrestling match. Tim reaches over to Arizona's pile of candy and plops one in his mouth, smiling at the pair of them wrestling on the floor.

"Do they always do this?" Callie asks.

"Oh, yeah. All the time. See, Teddy has been my friend for like...ever. And when Arizona came out of her shell, she and Teddy had this kind of banter going on. It was funny, actually. Very clever. And one day Teddy called her a wimp, which wasn't all that clever. And yeah, this happened. And Arizona has never won, so naturally, she's got to keep doing it until she can."

"Oh, wonderful." Callie answers, crossing her arms and popping some of her own candy in her mouth. Teddy clearly has control of the duel, she's just taunting Arizona, letting her think she stands a chance.

"She's all yours, Torres." Tim says mid laugh, just as Teddy pins Arizona and Arizona's face twists into one of pure frustration.

"Hey, you want the other half." Callie shoots back, silencing Tim.

Meanwhile, Teddy has pinned Arizona and is tightening her grip, until Arizona finally gives up.

"I tap!" She shouts, and Teddy releases her with a cocky smile playing across her lips.

"I don't know why you even try, you'll never win." Teddy says, fist bumping Tim, resulting in a very stern glare from Arizona.

Callie ignores the banter and inspects the redness around Arizona's neck, making sure Teddy hasn't done serious damage. Arizona smiles, but takes both of Callie's hands into her own.

"Calliope, it's fine. Doesn't hurt, I promise." How Arizona can go from tough and fighting Teddy to incredibly soft and kind in a nanosecond, Callie will never understand. But here she is, sweet and calm and kind, smiling that dimpled smile and making Callie's stomach catapult.

"What are you doing?" They both hear Teddy exclaim, and they both hold in a massive laugh as they watch Tim attempt to mirror Callie's actions and inspect Teddy. Teddy looks appalled, and swats him away, rolling her eyes.

"I have a mother, Tim. I don't need another one." She mutters, and Tim shoots Callie and Arizona a look of utter confusion. Callie smiles sympathetically at him, shrugging her shoulders.

"Alright, our turn." Arizona says, and all eyes turn to look at Callie, who's mind has gone absolutely blank.

"Wow, she's done so many bad ass things in life that she can't even play this game." Tim jokes around, and Callie rolls her eyes at him.

"Never have I ever had sex." Callie ends up saying, because it's the only thing that she can think of.

"Dirty, I like it." Teddy states, throwing her a wink. Then she proceeds to throw some candy in the bag, followed by Tim. Arizona's jaw hits the floor and she points at her brother.

"What?! With who? Wait, no, don't tell me. Ew." Arizona covers her face with her hands and groans, buries her head in Callie's neck. Which instantly makes Callie unable to do anything but think about the fact that Arizona's lips are insanely close to her skin. As in, she can feel her breath, close. Tim and Teddy are just laughing at Arizona, enjoying her reaction to it all.

They play the game for hours, laughing and gasping and teasing. On two separate occasions, Arizona and Teddy end up wrestling, which gives Callie the opportunity to talk with Tim. He looks frustrated at how the evening is going, but doesn't ask for advice, and frankly, Callie has none to give. Eventually, Teddy and Tim run out of candy and proudly pass it all over to Callie and Arizona. Teddy starts to yawn and checks her watch quickly, before speaking.

"Alright, I'm gonna walk home. It's getting late and I promised my mom I'd be home before midnight."

Tim stands up and extends a hand out to Teddy, who takes it and pulls herself up. She adjusts her tank top and stretches, before turning to Callie.

"It was great to meet you, Callie." She says, and Callie nods and smiles. Arizona stands up beside her, and Teddy pulls her into a hug.

"Take it easy. I know I whooped your ass like four times today, so you'll probably be sore."

Arizona shoves Teddy and laughs, "You kicked my ass three times, Altman." She corrects.

Teddy laughs and nods, "And I'll kick it a hundred more times, I'm sure." She says, and everyone laughs and agrees, causing Arizona to pout momentarily.

"I'll walk you home." Tim says, and Teddy shakes her head no and makes her way to the door.

"You don't have to. It's a ten minute walk, and it's a nice night, anyways."

Tim follows her to the door and grabs his jacket, "I need a walk anyways, get out all of this candy energy.", Tim reasons, and Teddy shrugs.

"Alright." She says, and the two of them head out the door, Tim throwing them a nervous smile before the door closes behind them.

Arizona sighs and runs her fingers through her curls, "He better not make a move and make it awkward.", she mutters.

"Teddy doesn't strike me as the type that would be awkward, even if he did make a move." Callie says, and Arizona considers this before nodding slowly.

"True. She'd probably just tell him it wasn't going to happen, and then continue on as usual."

They both laugh, because it's very true. Callie likes Teddy. For one, she didn't ask any major personal questions, and never questioned her during the game. Plus she's tough and fun, and Callie finds herself admiring her. She's deep in thought when Arizona reaches over and pushes her dark hair out of her face, kissing her softly.

"Follow me."

Callie follows Arizona up the winding stairs and into a bedroom that she assumes is Arizona's.

"Welcome to my room!" Arizona says, smiling and plopping down on her bed. Callie takes in the room. It's very tidy, which is to be expected, from what she's heard about Mr. Robbins. But within the tidiness, there's also a sense of warmth and family to the room. The walls are light blue, and the bed is made, but on her walls hang various pictures of Arizona with Tim, Teddy, and her parents. And on her dresser, hanging on her mirror, a worn pictures of a blonde woman who's the spitting image of her. Callie looks at the picture intently, before turning to face Arizona.

"That's my mom, my birth mom, I mean." She says, her voice carrying a hint of sadness with it.

"She looks like you." Callie says softly, and Arizona nodded and smiled sadly.

"It's the matching dimples, I think." Arizona offers, staring unblinking at the picture, as if she's afraid that blinking will make her cry. Callie walks over to the bed and lies down next to Arizona, pulling her into her arms.

"Well, I'm a sucker for those." She jokes lightly, and Arizona sighs in relief at the topic change and drapes an arm over Callie's torso.

"I know."

Callie runs her thumb over Arizona's arm, enjoying the feeling of lying there, when Arizona's head lifts up off of her and blue eyes seek out her brown ones.

"I'm sorry that I got quiet there. I'm not used to talking about my birth mom with people."

Callie smiles and nods, "I understand.", she whispers, but Arizona squints her eyes and shakes her head.

"No, I don't want to be quiet with you. I want to tell you stuff about me. I just want you to know that it's weird for me, and I'm not really good at it."

Callie slips her hand into Arizona's, intertwining their fingers, "You don't have to be good at it. You just have to talk when you want to, and I'll listen. And I'll talk when I want to too, even if I'm not good at it either.", she reasons, and Arizona smiles her most radiant smile.

"Deal."

"Deal."

They settle back into their comfy position, eyes closed, enjoying the comfort of one another's warmth.

"My mom used to be a teacher, once." Arizona says, her voice faintly proud, but also a little bit sad and broken, "When I was very young, she was a teacher. She used to read with me, I think. I don't remember much of it.".

Callie bites her lip and takes a deep breath, "My kindergarden teacher taught me to read, during recess, because I was so behind the other kids and my mom didn't care to have me stay after school was over to get extra help."

Arizona's fingers run up and down Callie's arm, and it relaxes her and comforts her in a way she's never been comforted before. There's another comfortable silence before Arizona pipes up again.

"It's funny how I don't get to remember the good years. I'm sure for the first two or so years of my life, my mom was amazing. I'm sure she read to me, and loved me and cherished me. But I don't remember that, because I'm too busy remembering the ghost of a woman I took care of for the rest of the time I was at home."

"I think that you just need to be aware of the fact that your mom is good."

"My mom was terrible." Arizona counters, and Callie nods in agreement.

"Yeah, I'm not saying she made all the right decisions. I'm saying she's good."

She looks at Arizona in a way that tells her to be quiet and listen, and the blonde complies.

"She might have done bad things, horrible things, once she started using. And she might be totally lost in that, forever. But your mom, who she really is under the pain and the drugs, is good. She's the kind of woman who read to you and adored you. And you should take comfort in the fact that she's good. We break down sometimes, we lose ourselves. Sometimes we lose everyone and we never get back. But I'd like to think that when you're good, somewhere, under it all, you're always good."

Arizona nodded and ran a thumb tenderly across a tanned cheek, looking at Callie with such intense adoration that it stole her breath right out of her lungs.

"Thank you." Arizona whispered, and those two words held more meaning than Callie could ever have imagined they ever could. Then Arizona leaned in and kissed her, in the sweetest, kindest, most caring way she imagined a person could be kissed. She would probably have kissed Arizona forever, if Tim's knock on the door hadn't interrupted the moment.

"Can you guys stop doing that so we can all talk?" He muttered, and they both laughed and pulled themselves into sitting position. Tim came in and collapsed onto the tiny bed in a heaping pile of frustration, groaning.

"How'd it go?" Arizona asked, and Tim pulled on his hair in frustration before sitting up and facing them.

"Great, she's perfect. Except that I don't know how to make her see me as something more than a friend! I keep trying these cute guy things, you know? The things that work with most girls, but she just laughs and me or makes fun of me."

"Have you ever thought that maybe she doesn't need the cute guy things?" Callie offered, and Tim just looked at her, confused.

"Are you saying I need to be a jerk to her?" He said, and Callie laughed and shook her head no.

"Teddy, from what I can tell, and from what Arizona tells me, is a strong, independent person. Maybe she's not looking for someone to tell her she's pretty and bring her flowers. Maybe she's just looking for someone who will make her laugh, and will be a real person with her."

Blue eyes clear, and Tim nods, considering this.

"I am real with her, she's my best friend." He points out.

"True, but ever since you realized you had feelings for her, you've been trying to use your moves on her, like she's one of those girls at school that think you're to die for." Arizona points out, and Callie smiles and agrees.

"You need to be you. Just you. And walk up to her and take the leap and just kiss her. And she's either going to kiss you back, or she isn't. And you go from there." Arizona says, and she and Callie share a small smile that Tim definitely doesn't miss.

"I'm really happy that approach worked out for you guys, but I can't do it! I'm too nervous, I clam up." Tim says honestly, dropping his face into his hands and sighing.

"It's not ever easy, Tim. You think I wasn't freaking out when I kissed her?" Arizona states, and Callie raises her eyebrows and faces the blonde, "I was freaking out! I almost didn't do it. But then I thought, I'd rather know where I stand then torture myself wondering. So I just did it. And then she kissed back, and that was the most amazing moment ever."

Arizona throws her a dimpled grin, and Callie smiles back, pulling her in and planting a kiss on her forehead. Tim takes in the exchange, and rolls his eyes.

"Right, well that's my cue." He says jokingly, standing up and heading towards the door. Before he leaves, he turns and locks eyes with Callie, smiling a real, genuine smile. "By the way, it was nice to have you here tonight. Seriously."

Callie smiles to herself as he heads out the door, settling back down, Arizona cuddling up to her comfortably.

What are the odds, she wonders, of trekking for weeks, to end up in that treehouse. What are the odds that the first person she met on the run was this girl, who was sweet and caring?

Callie Torres had stopped believing in God a long time ago. Around the first time her mom had come home drunk and screamed at her. Or maybe it was months after that, when her moms new boyfriend had hit her for the first time. But somewhere along the way, she stopped believing. Because no one answered her prayers.

But lying here, wrapped up in those small, but strong arms, with the closest thing to a brother she's ever had sleeping down the hall, she starts to believe in something more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Arizona's POV**

It's been two weeks since the weekend Callie slept over while her parents were away. Which means it's been two weeks since she cuddled lazily with her girlfriend. Wait, were they girlfriends?

Arizona shook her head in frustration at her lack of relationship knowledge. Tim was useless as well, brooding and occupied with his Teddy situation.

She'd spent the greater half of two weeks twirling her hair and biting her nails and trying, desperately, to find a way to ask Callie to be her girlfriend. Her runaway, living in a treehouse girlfriend, but she was choosing to ignore the details. Finally, when she'd decided on what she wanted to do, she'd been faced with trying to find a way to keep Callie from the treehouse for hours. So naturally, she'd chosen to rope Tim in.

"_I've got plans with Teddy!" He muttered, face down in a pillow. Arizona rolled her eyes and pulled on his shirt until he turned and faced her._

"_Timmy, please! Please, please, please." She begged, and Tim glared at her for a couple seconds before relaxing his face and admitting defeat._

"_Can I ask you something?" Tim asked, face grave and serious. Arizona nodded and sat on the bed next to her brother. _

"_What is it?"_

"_What is it, what?" Arizona said in confusion, one eyebrow raising. _

"_What is it about her? That makes you trust her so quickly. That makes you sweet and romantic and what not."_

_Arizona considers this, and finally she smiles and lays a hand on her brothers hand, giving it a quick squeeze. _

"_She's real."_

"_She's real?"_

"_Yeah. She's real. She's fractured and broken and she's pieced together with glue, and I like that. She sees the world like I do. With unbelievable light and darkness. You, Teddy, you see good and bad. You understand good and bad. But Callie and I? We see the world in crazy contrast. We know the darkest darks, and we know blinding light. We appreciate lightness because we understand the horrific pain that darkness brings. When she's with me, I don't have to try. I don't have to try and hide my pain or hide my past. I feel like she understands me, and she isn't afraid of my demons, because hers are just as real. But most of all, she's warm, you know? I know you feel it too, because you trust her as much as I do. She's...she looks at you and you just know she'd give you everything she could. When Callie looks at me, I'm the center of her world, and I find that to be overwhelmingly beautiful. And when I look at her, it's the same. I can't stop looking."_

"_Fine, I'll do it." Tim murmured, a small smile breaking out across his lips, and Arizona squealed and planted a kiss on his cheek, which he immediately rubbed off sourly, much to her amusement._

"_What are you, eight?"_

_Tim glared and shoved her lightly, "Shut up. I'm miserable. Be nice to me." He said, laughing._

"_Callie and I already told you what to do, just kiss her." _

"_I can't just kiss her Arizona." Tim stated, like it was the most ridiculous thing he could ever do and he just couldn't fathom it._

"_I really think you should." Arizona stated, for the millionth time that week._

"_Why?" He said, again, for the millionth time._

"_Because you're annoying when you're like this, and I'd like my cool, awesome brother back, because he'd kick this whiners ass." Arizona shot at him, and Tim looked at her in shock for a split second, before breaking out into a hearty laugh._

"_I love you."_

"_I love you too." _

"_So, what's the big plan with Callie on friday night?" He asked, eyebrows dancing, sly grin on his lips._

And now she was here, on friday night, waiting nervously for her maybe-could-be-girlfriend to show up. She'd gone to the store with Tim and they'd used their allowances to pay for the most romantic things they could find. So there were about a hundred of those glowing battery run fake candles setting the entire room a glow. In the center of the treehouse, she'd laid out a soft blanket. On it was two bags of sour patch kids, the candy Callie had decided was her absolute favorite. She had a big bottle of peach juice as well, with two plastic cups. She'd spent ages in the store with Tim, worrying about the candy and the juice, wondering if it was too juvenile, too immature. But eventually, she'd realized that that was a big part of her, she liked being a little bit young at heart. It made up for a childhood she never really got. And she realized that Callie probably needed a little of that too. A little carefree living, with sugar rushes and sweet sugary kisses.

And gosh, was she ever nervous.

She'd never asked someone to be her girlfriend. She'd never even kissed someone before she'd kissed Callie. But Callie made her want to plan romantic evenings and sing along loudly to love songs.

So she was standing in the treehouse, in shorts and a tank top, biting her nails and hoping that Callie wasn't about to show up and think it was all really silly.

Although she was almost certain that wouldn't be the case.

**Callies POV**

Tim had insisted yesterday that they needed to have some one on one bonding time, so he'd offered to take her out for ice cream. Thankfully, because he could drive, they'd driven to a nearby small town to avoid being spotted. There, they'd bought two cones and settled down on a bench overlooking a beach. Callie licked away at her cone, which was black cherry flavor, and smiled as she watched Tim enjoy his cotton candy flavored cone. She imagined Arizona would enjoy some kind of sugar related type of ice cream, like bubble gum, or something.

Arizona. Gosh, even just thinking of her name made her blush and smile. Ever since Arizona had kissed her that day, they'd become closer and closer. She'd learnt a lot about the blonde. Like the way Arizona couldn't sleep with all the lights off, because she was terrified of the dark. Or the way she bit the inside of her cheek when she was angry. She learnt all about Arizona's past, about the things that terrified and the things that excited her. She watched Arizona talk excitedly of medicine, doing that adorable nose scrunch she always did when she was excited. She listened to stories from Arizona's childhood, and appreciated them, because they were rare and she never wanted to talk about it for long.

And she started to fall for her. To fall for the most mundane of things, like the way Arizona used her hands to emphasize a point, or the freckle on her chest. She started to fall for the dimples and the blue eyes and the unbelievably soft white skin.

It was effortless.

"Stop daydreaming about my sister, please." Tim said, rolling his eyes and sighing in exasperation.

Callie's cheeks burned red before she muttered, "Sorry", relaxing as Tim waved it off jokingly.

"Ah, it's probably good that you're daydreaming about her." He said, and Callie nodded in agreement.

"So I think I'm just gonna kiss Teddy." Tim stated, licking his ice cream and darting his blue eyes over to meet Callie's nervously.

Callie raised her eyebrows in surprise and nodded, "Okay."

"Okay? That's it?"

Callie laughed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"We all knew you were going to do it, eventually."

"You and Arizona do not equal the status of 'we all'". Tim muttered, and Callie smiled and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll be fine. Just don't slobber." Tim shot her a glare and punched her lightly, much like he always did with Arizona.

"Ha ha, gosh, sometimes you and Arizona are far too alike."

"Great minds think alike." Callie responds, and Tim nods in agreement. There's a silence between them now, as they both finish their ice cream and look out onto the water.

Finally, Tim speaks, turning to face her, "I care about you, a lot. You're getting to be like a sister to me. But I swear, if you hurt Arizona, I will sell you out so fast you won't even realize what's happening."

He's absolutely serious, and despite the fact that he's threatening her, Callie can't help but grin. Because that's the effect Arizona has on people. People want to protect her, to cherish her, because she's kind and warm and special. She's such a rare gift of a person that it feels wrong to ever want to hurt her.

"I won't hurt her, I promise."

Can she even promise that? Relationships have pain. She knows that. People change and fall a part and fall out of love as quickly as they fall in. But she pictures blue eyes and soft lips, and she can't imagine ever breaking Arizona's heart, so she promises anyways.

"You know you can't promise that, right?" Tim says, and they both acknowledge that.

"I know."

"But you're doing it anyways?"

Callie scratches her forehead and swivels to face Tim completely, "I can't promise I'll never hurt someone, I mean, nobody can promise something like that. But I don't want to hurt her, I don't want to ever leave her or make her feel less than amazing. So for right now, it's a promise that fits."

Tim considers this, "I guess that's good enough for me."

Callie laughs and pats him on the back, "Good, because I really don't want to be sold out. I like being in your treehouse."

Tim laughs and rests his hand over Callie's, smiling at her in that protective, big brother way he always smiles at Arizona.

"By the way, if Arizona hurts you, don't worry, I'll make her life hell too."

They share a laugh, and then Callie follows Tim back to the car. They both buckle up and Tim turns on some music, some pop radio station, which means Callie doesn't know any of the songs.

"Not a fan of pop?" Tim asks, and Callie scrunches up her nose and shakes her head.

"We didn't do much pop in the kind of place I grew up in." She says, and Tim nods, understanding.

"I think the only CD I have in here is Queen, to be honest."

"Beats the fake tans off these pop singers." Callie comments, and Tim reaches into the compartment in his door and tosses her a CD case. Callie opens it and pops it into the CD player, and seconds later the music changes from dance beats to music she actually knows. She settles back into her seat, eyes closed, smiling, as Tim laughs at her reaction.

"You know, if I didn't see you with Arizona, I'd have no idea you were such a softie. What with your bad ass demeanor."

"You shoulda seen me when I still had my leather jacket." Callie says, and Tim raises his eyebrows in a questioning manner.

"I'm bad ass." Callie states, shrugging.

"Except with Arizona."

Callie sighs, and looks out the window at the world speeding by. Dimples, there are always dimples breaking up her tough exterior. Making her soft.

"Except with Arizona." She echoes, loving the way the blondes name always sounds rolling off her tongue.

The rest of their afternoon together is comfortable conversation, mostly of safe subject, like Teddy, Arizona or happy memories. Tim's experience and time with Arizona has taught him not to ask the tough questions, but rather to let people just talk about their stuff on their own.

Tim opted to walk her back to the treehouse, as the sun was just starting to set, and it was in his protective nature to always make sure people were okay. Arizona was stuck at home finishing an english paper, so Tim was probably making sure everything was good for the night.

When they got to the base of the tree, Callie noticed a soft glow of light coming from the window, stark and bright against the blackness that had enveloped them. Tim smiled at her excitedly and winked.

"Go get her." He said, giving Callie a quick hug before turning and heading off in the direction of the house.

When he was out of sight, Callie took a deep breath, combed through her hair quickly with her fingers, and climbed up to the treehouse. She took one last deep breath to calm herself before she opened the door, her stomach already doing nervous flips at the idea that Arizona was waiting for her.

And then she opened the door.

Arizona was standing in the middle of the treehouse, looking incredibly nervous and incredibly adorable in shorts and a tank top. Her blue eyes were sparkling with the light of a dozen candles, and her short hair looked soft and curly.

"Hey." Arizona said, softly, breathlessly.

Callie couldn't think of anything better to say, taking it all in, so she just responded, "Hey".

On the floor was a soft blanket, with two bags of sour patch kids - her new favorite, and a big jug of peach juice. Tears started to fill her eyes, because no one had ever, ever cared about her enough to know what type of sugary candy was her favorite. And no one had ever lit a treehouse with what had to be a hundred candles. And no one had ever looked at her the way Arizona was looking at her right that second. With most vulnerable type of adoration. Then Arizona caught sight of the tears forming in her eyes and was immediately at her side, rambling nervously.

"Oh my gosh, is it too much? Crap. Crap. Please don't cry, Callie, I just-", Callie cuts off her ramble with a kiss. It's intended to be soft, just to make her stop freaking out, but Callie finds she can't pull away. Instead, she just wraps her arms around Arizona's hips and pulls her in tighter. Arizona throws her arms around Callie's neck, and runs her hand over Callie's cheek. When Arizona finally pulls away slightly, Callie doesn't let go of her, keeping the blonde close and looking into ocean blue eyes.

"I'm getting mixed signals." Arizona says, looking so adorably flustered and confused that Callie can't help but kiss her again.

"You got sour patch kids." Callie says, and Arizona nods slowly, still confused by the grin that follows that statement.

"Yes? They're your favorite." She states, like it's common knowledge, like every single person in the world should know this tiny insignificant fact about her.

"Nobody's ever cared what my favorite candy is, let alone done all this." Callie whispers, resting her forehead against Arizona's and smiling even wider.

Arizona's face turns to one of comprehension, and she unwraps one arm from around Callie's neck and runs her thumb under Callie's eye, catching one small tear.

"Happy tears?" She asks, and Callie nods, "Happy tears are good. Well, no tears are good. But if you're going to cry, it better be good."

"You're amazing." Callie states, watching Arizona blush and smile, shaking her head as if to give the compliment back. But Callie won't have it, and she gives Arizona an honest nod.

"We're amazing." Arizona decides, kissing Callie on the cheek and smiling her dimpled smile. Then Arizona grabs Callie's hand and pulls her over to the blanket, urging her to sit. Then Arizona goes over to her backpack and pulls out a pillow, waving it in the air like a prize.

"I figured this would come in handy." She explains, and Callie nods in agreement.

"Come here." Callie says, because all she really wants is to wrap herself up in Arizona and forget just about everything else. But Arizona holds the pillow to her chest, inches away from Callie, both of them sitting on that blanket. Her blue eyes are alive with the light of a hundred candles, and she looks so vulnerable that it takes Callie totally by surprise.

"I don't know how this is going to work. I don't have a plan for tomorrow, I don't even know where you'll be in a week, and that terrifies me. I don't know how we're going to get you out of my treehouse. But I know that you make me feel more like myself than I've ever felt before. And I know that I don't want you anywhere but right next to me."

Arizona pauses, to catch her breath, to gather her thoughts, maybe. Callie doesn't know which, but she doesn't tear her eyes off the blonde. She understands Arizona's fear. Because there is no plan. She's living day by day. She's just running, running and hiding. And part of that involves saying goodbye. The vulnerability crossing Arizona's face, the intense adoration mixed in, is enough to make her never want to say goodbye.

"I want to figure out a plan with you. I want to be around long enough to hear about the things from your past that you're too afraid to tell anyone about."

Another deep breath, and still, Callie is mesmerized. Captivated.

"Calliope, will you be my girlfriend?" Arizona finally says, and it's like music to Callie's ears. She breaks out into a grin, and watches as Arizona half smiles, unsure of the answer to her question.

"Yes. Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!" Callie spits out excitedly, pulling in her **girlfriend**, she already loves the sound of that, and kissing her softly. Arizona pulls away and lets out a massive breath, dimples popping as she smiles her magic smile.

"Oh, thank god." Arizona says, and they both share a laugh, Callie's arms still wrapped around the blondes neck.

"What, did you think I'd say no?" Callie jokingly asks, and Arizona laughs it off, but Callie catches the flash of insecurity, and realizes just how terrified Arizona was at being told no. She realizes how, although Arizona's got a family and a brother and a bright future, she's still walking on eggshells, afraid to be pushed away or left broken.

She makes a promise to herself to never break her.

"Come here." She says for the second time that night, and Arizona doesn't waste a second in lying down with her and curling up into her side. Arizona smells like vanilla and her skin is soft stroking Callie's, and Callie shuts her eyes sleepily. She's nearly asleep, totally content, when Arizona's head lifts up and she opens her eyes to blue ones.

"What was the best day of your life?" Arizona asks. It's quite possibly the deepest question Callie has ever been asked. Because she hasn't had a whole lot of memorably good days in her life. And yet she knows exactly which one to talk about the second the question rolls off the tip of Arizona's tongue.

"I was eight. I remember because it was the year my mom almost died. Drank so much, her heart stopped. I called 911. It was terrifying."

If someones eyes could reach out and hold someone, that's what Arizona's were doing.

"It was a couple months later, she was still drinking. And my dad hadn't left yet, so things were bad between them. I know my dad was into bad stuff. Dangerous stuff. And my mom always had bruises. And sometimes I did too. But one day, a random day, I woke up and came downstairs to make coffee to help sober up my mom, like every morning. But she wasn't drunk. She was... clear. And she made me pancakes and then we went to the zoo."

A small smile crosses Callie's lips at the memory, at the fleeting moment of normalcy in her life.

"My mom held my hand and bought me candy, and we stayed at the zoo all day. I'll never know why she didn't drink that day. But she didn't. And for a second, just a second, I was a kid and she was a parent. And I remember that I really, really, loved the feeling of that."

She's still reminiscing, off in her head, when she feels soft lips pressed against her own. And she's not sure if it's the story, or the fact that they're in a treehouse lit with romantic lights, but she's suddenly hungry for kisses. So she pulls Arizona onto her, so they're lying flat against one another, bodies pressed together. And suddenly hands are in her hair and she's running her fingers up and down Arizona's back and her entire body feels like it's on fire.

By the time Arizona finally pulls away, she's breathless and overwhelmed and completely unhappy with the sudden halt. But Arizona smiles and kisses her softly and holds her hand so sweetly that she decides she doesn't even care what happens, as long as the blonde is present.

"I should go home, before my parents ask questions."

"No."

Arizona laughs, "If I could stay here all night, I would."

"Woah, you just asked me to be your girlfriend, that's a little presumptuous of you." Callie jokes, and Arizona laughs again.

"Calliope Torres, I'm a lady. And you're a lady. So believe me when I tell you that I will wine and dine you before anything else happens."

And Callie just grins, and kisses her girlfriend.

Because she would absolutely love to be wined and dined by Arizona Robbins.

**After the next chapter, time's going to start jumping around. So enjoy the ride. And thank you for reading and commenting, I love knowing what you guys are thinking.**


	9. Chapter 9

It's time jump time! If you feel like you've miss key relationship moments, do not fear, I'll cover them. And I'll get to Callies side of everything, it's just more fun if you figure it out slowly.

**Arizona's POV - December of that same year**

Arizona walked slowly back home, hands in her pockets to keep them warm in the cold December breeze. She groaned and actively decided she missed summer. But then again, she realized she probably just missed Callie in bikinis and endless days with her girlfriend. It had a wonderful summer, a great summer. Filled with family and laughter. It was almost so good, that Arizona had spent a lot her time convinced that something just had to go bad, because her luck was never **that** good. From where she stood outside the house, she could see the light on in Callie's room. _Callie's room._ It had been that way for months now, but she was still always in shock of how well everything had worked out, despite how terrified and furious she had been.

_Tim ran his fingers through his hair in frustration before answering her, "Callie cannot live in there forever! She's seventeen! She needs to be in...school! And doing something with her days. She's been in the treehouse since May, and it's late June now. Arizona, it's time."_

"_No! They'll just send her away!"_

"_You don't know that!" Tim argued, "I think they'll be more understanding than you think."_

"_But what if they send her away?" _

_Tim sighed, "Then that sucks. And you two would have to figure it out. But do you really want Callie to always be running, working odd jobs to stay alive? She's brilliant, Arizona, and you know that. And we both love her, and part of that involves giving her the chance to be everything she's ever wanted to be!" _

_Tim's words made sense, logically, she agreed. But the fear of losing her girlfriend didn't make her logical, it made her crazy. She hated it and she loved it all at once. _

"_I know you're right, okay? I know. I just..." She took a deep breath and sat down on her bed, Tim sitting down next to her._

"_I know. I'm afraid she'll be sent away too. But I think we need to give Mom and Dad more credit. This won't be their first runaway, and they've been foster parents before. They aren't just anyone."_

_She knew that, too. They had a lot of experience with all of this stuff. But it didn't help the rolling in her stomach feel better. _

"_They don't even know about me." She commented in a defeated voice, and Tim rubbed her back._

"_That you're gay? They do." Tim said, and Arizona snorted and looked at him in disbelief._

"_They do?"_

_Tim looked at her incredulously, "Arizona, you've never so much as batted an eye at a guy, and there's a massive poster of Cindy Crawford on your wall."_

"_I enjoy photography." Arizona lied, and Tim laughed and rolled his eyes._

"_Yeah, okay. Anyways, don't worry about them. Mom won't even blink, I swear. And she will adore Callie. And Dad, well, he'll be Dad."_

"_I don't know, I don't think I can do it." Arizona muttered._

"_You can do it." Callie's voice came from the doorway, snapping both Robbins' heads up to greet her._

"_Calliope, we were just-" Callie waved her off and smiled._

"_Listen, I love that you've both been busting your asses to keep this all a secret, but it's time. I can't run forever. And I miss school. I miss doing normal kid things. And as much as I'm terrified to be in the system, to be found by my family, I have to hope and pray that none of that will happen."_

_Tim nodded and stood to give her a big hug, "You know that your family will be contacted."_

"_I know. But I think my mom will give me up. Or won't care either way. Trust me when I tell you, if she's still drinking, she probably doesn't even realize I've been gone so long."_

_A sad smile formed on Arizona's lips, but she nodded, "So we're all in agreement?"_

_Two yes' and two head nods, and they all went very silent._

"_Tomorrow after school. Callie, meet us here at three thirty. And we'll tell them, together."_

"_Together?" Callie questioned, somehow still surprised at all the support. Arizona stood and linked their fingers together._

"_Together." She said, and three faces nervously took in the enormity of the situation they would be faced with tomorrow._

Of course, they'd reacted better than most parents would have. They'd done everything legally, of course. They'd contacted a social worker and they'd offered up their home as a foster home, which, upon regular meetings and consent from Callie's mom, had been granted. So here she was, living day by day as a Robbins'. The rules were simple, laid out very early on. Callie had all the same rules as Tim and her, and some special ones that involved their relationship. After curfew, they were to go to their rooms and not sneak around. Homework before dates. They both enjoyed school and good grades, so it hadn't been too difficult to follow the rules. They generally did their homework together, sitting around the living room table, and enjoyed one another's presence in that way. Callie and Barbara had developed a relationship stemming from Callie's helpfulness in the kitchen, something Tim and Arizona did not care for. Both knew how to cook, Arizona more so, from her practice as a kid, but neither enjoyed it. Callie, however, spent hours listening and learning. Those were the moments, where Callie's eyebrows knitted together in concentration, as both women laughed together, that she fell even more in love with her girlfriend.

Realizing she probably looked creepy, staring at a yellow window, Arizona stomped snow off her boots and went inside. The air smelt like fresh baked cookies, and Arizona grinned, dropping her backpack onto the floor. She walked into the kitchen, where her mom was just plating cookies, Tim waiting impatiently next to her for a taste.

"Timothy Robbins, stop crowding me or you won't get any!" Barbara chastised, and Tim stuck out his bottom lip and opened his blue eyes big and wide.

"You're too ugly to get away with that." Arizona chimed in, reaching over and grabbing a warm cookie from the plate. Tim looked from his mom to Arizona, insulted by the lack of a reaction from their mother.

"I'm cuter." Arizona offered, and Tim rolled his eyes and grabbed a cookie for himself.

"Where's Callie?" Barbara asked, and Arizona shrugged.

"In her room, I'm guessing?" Arizona offered, and Tim nodded in agreement.

"Bring her down. I want her to try these cookies, give me feedback."

"What about our feedback?" Tim said, eliciting a laugh from his mother.

"I love you both, but you two would eat anything. Callie has a much more refined palette."

Both of them rolled their eyes and Arizona crammed the rest of the cookie in her mouth before muttered a quick, "I'll go get her."

"Don't stay up there too long!" Tim joked, and Arizona stuck out her tongue at him, before heading up the stairs.

Callie's door was closed, so Arizona knocked softly before she came in. Callie was sitting at her desk, back to Arizona, surrounded by papers. Their winter exams were coming up, and Callie had been studying like a mad woman. Arizona walked up and wrapped her arms around her girlfriends neck, who sighed and relaxed into the contact.

"Hey you." Arizona whispered, kissing her on the forehead. Callie smiled and closed her eyes contently.

"Hey."

"How's the studying going?"

Callie groaned and opened her eyes, "Never ending. I need a ninety five to keep my average, which feels quite impossible right now."

"Nerd." Arizona joked, and Callie feigned mock anger.

"Ouch."

Arizona spun the chair around, so Callie's eyes were inches from hers, and tucked a strand of dark hair behind Callie's ear, "You are a nerd. But I love it."

"I know you do." Callie answered, kissing Arizona quickly.

"You need to come downstairs and try mom's new cookie recipe." Arizona said, and Callie laughed.

"Can't you or Tim do that?"

Arizona rolled her eyes, "Apparently you have a more refined palette." Arizona said, air quoting the refined palette part.

Callie laughed, a deep, sexy laugh that made Arizona want to lock the door and keep Callie hostage, but her girlfriend was already halfway downstairs.

In the kitchen, Tim was pouring himself a glass of milk to go with what could only be his fourth or fifth cookie.

"Callie dear, come try these!" Barbara said, waving Callie over and presenting her with the heaping pile of cookies. Callie took one and chewed slowly, before smiling and nodding.

"These are delicious!" She said, and Tim rolled his eyes.

"I could have said that exact thing, Mom." He commented, and Arizona nodded in agreement, but their mom just smiled at Callie and ignored them.

"Have you been studying all night?" Barbara asked, and Callie mumbled a yes through a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie.

"Cal, take a break." Tim commented, and Callie just looked at him in confusion.

Arizona rubbed her girlfriends back, "It's Christmas Eve, you're allowed to take a break and enjoy your free time before exams."

"Speaking of which," Tim popped up, eyeing his mom, "It's time for the Christmas Eve gift unwrapping!"

Arizona hopped from foot to foot next to her brother, ignoring the look her girlfriend and mother were sharing while looking at the two of them.

"Gift unwrapping?" Daniel Robbins' voice floated in from the living room, carrying with it a hint of excitement.

"I live with a gang of children." Barbara said, with all of the love and adoration a mother could muster up.

"So that's a yes?" Tim said, and Barbara nodded to him, eliciting a shout of excitement from Arizona.

"You get half, I'll get half. Meet in the living room!" Tim shouted, and Arizona followed him into the living room where the christmas tree was set up. The room was suddenly alive with laughter and smiles, as Callie and Barbara joined Daniel and the other two. Tim handed a present to his mom and dad, and Arizona carried presents for herself, Tim, and Callie. Tim settled down in the rocking chair with his present, and Arizona joined Callie on the love seat, not missing the way Callie's eyes sparkled with barely contained excitement.

She handed Callie a present with a red bow on it, and Callie smiled a ten mega watt smile that dazzled Arizona to no end.

They all opened their presents, just one, one at a time, as per tradition. Callie went last, opening the present with trembling fingers, and Arizona watched closely as pulled out a hand knitted sweater from Barbara. She watched Callie's eyes flood with tears as she got a hug from everyone.

And she was there, hours later, when Callie set by the window, watching the snow fall, pajama's on.

And she was definitely there to hear Callie whisper, sadly, but also with a hint of incredible happiness, "This is the first christmas that I've ever felt loved, wanted, and like a kid."

**Christmas morning**

Arizona woke with a jolt, letting the childish excitement of christmas seep through her body. The alarm clock showed five am, and she didn't feel one little bit tired. She'd hated Christmas for a long time, it had always been a reminder of her lack of youth, her lack of family. But once she'd been legally adopted, it had become a beacon of hope. A reminder that despite the worst things in life, we could move on to something bigger, something brighter. She knew Callie viewed Christmas much like she had long ago, and she made her personal goal to make her girlfriend glow the way she had the night before. Quietly, so as to not wake Tim up yet, she tip toed to Callie's room, leaving the light off as not to startle her. Callie was sleeping sprawled out on her stomach, mouth slightly agape. She was a startling beauty even drooling on her pillow, and Arizona smiled lovingly down at her.

God, did she ever love her.

They hadn't said it, the big three words. Many times, in the heat of the moment, with Callie's lips pressed to hers or when those big brown eyes looked into hers, she'd almost said it. But her constant fear of rejection, of everything good being shattered, kept her from saying it. But watching Callie's face, so relaxed, so innocent and sweet and young, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she loved her. In a pure, good kind of way. A way that she didn't really believe existed until right now.

Softly, she lifted the covers and slid into the bed next to her girlfriend, who stirred a little bit but didn't wake. Arizona was on her side, running her fingers through that long dark hair, taking in every curve of her girlfriends face. Eventually, Callie stirred again, and this time she woke, keeping her eyes closed but smiling at the familiar feeling of Arizona's fingers running across her face.

"Hey you." Arizona whispered, like always.

"Hey." Callie whispered back sleepily, turning onto her side to face Arizona. A tanned hand found Arizona's somewhere in the middle, and Arizona smiled at the gesture.

"It's Christmas." Arizona said, and Callie just nodded, still half asleep.

"It's early." She mumbled, and Arizona laughed and nodded.

"It is."

Callie inched closer, her face buried in Arizona's neck, and Arizona took the opportunity to slip her arm under Callie's neck, pulling her closer.

"I got you something." Arizona whispered again, which seemed to wake Callie up a little bit more.

Arizona kissed her girlfriend and pulled back the covers, eliciting a groan from Callie, "I'll be right back, I'll bring it to you."

Arizona zipped back into her room, pulling a wrapped gift from the back of her closet. Sighing, she ran her fingers over the gift, thinking about what was inside.

"_Callie, darling, we need to get you some new clothes." Barbara insisted, and Callie shook her head._

"_No, it's not a big deal, I can wear this." Callie insisted, hugging the big grey sweater she was always wearing. It was so old, the lettering had faded, but Arizona assumed it had once said "Never Stop Living". _

"_You're going to school on Monday, you can't wear the same shirt every single day! You'll be warm, and you can't wear a tank top, it's against dress code."_

_It took ages, but finally Barbara went out and bought clothes and brought it home, insisting that it was all non-returnable, so Callie would just have to wear it. But still, Arizona noted, Callie always wore that sweater. _

_Later that night, Arizona found Callie in her room, attempting to stitch up a massive hole in the sweater, on the brink of tears._

"_Callie, it's okay. Mom got you clothes!" She tried to soothe, but Callie just sobbed._

"_This sweater is special." She said between tears, holding onto the worn out grey sweater like it was her link to life. _

_Arizona didn't know what to do. Ask? Wait? In the end, she just pulled Callie into a hug and let her cry, waiting out the storm. _

_Finally, Callie spoke, in a quiet, sad voice, "It was my sister's." _

"_You have a sister?" Arizona asked, trying to conceal the shock in her voice. Callie had always appeared so independent, Arizona had never pictured her as a sister. _

"_I had a sister." Callie said, and Arizona couldn't help her eyes from conveying the pain she felt in her heart for her girlfriend._

"_You had." She echoed sadly, and Callie nodded._

"_Aria. She was older. She was sixteen when she died. I was ten. She gave me this sweater. It's the only thing I have left to remember her by. I don't even have a picture." _

"_What happened?" Arizona dared to ask, holding her breath, trying not to push anything._

"_My father." Callie answered, in the most hateful voice she'd ever heard. _

"_Your father killed her?" _

"_My father killed everything. He may not have physically touched her, but he was always the root of everything."_

That was all Arizona had ever heard about what happened. Of course, after that night, Callie had opened up a lot about her sister. Her older sister who had protected Callie and taken abuse. Her older sister who'd been so positive, so strong.

Arizona had helped Callie stitch that sweater up a thousand times, until it got so worn that it was nothing but a rag.

But a couple of months ago, she'd decided to apply the skills she'd retained from Home Ec class. She took that sweater, in it's bits and pieces, along with various fabrics and quotes, and stitched them all together to make a blanket. It was hideous. Absolutely awful, because nothing grey ever looked very good. But it was all there. Every remaining inch of that sweater was stitched and safe. Arizona hoped she hadn't crossed a line, hoped she hadn't pushed too far, but she loved the idea. The idea that Callie could sleep wrapped up in the one thing to remind her of her sister. In a way, she thought, it would be like her sister was always protecting her.

When she tip toed back into Callie's room, her eyes were open and she smiled at Arizona before looking at the present.

"I got you something, it's downstairs." Callie said, and Arizona smiled.

"I know. I did too. This is just..special. I wanted to give it to you alone."

Callie knitted her eyebrows together in confusion, but smiled anyways, "Aren't you just the best girlfriend ever."

"Open it." Arizona said nervously, watching Callie rip the present open and pull out the blanket. The sun was starting to come up, so there was just enough light to make out the three squares that said "Never Stop Living".

Callie's mouth fell open in shock, and her eyes welled up and a small gasp crossed her lips. Arizona sat, completely worried, on the bed, until her girlfriend brought the blanket to her face, smiled, and jumped on her. Before she could process, Callie was pressing a flurry of kisses to her lips, her cheeks, her forehead.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She whispered, stopping to look Arizona in the eyes.

"I just... I know you love it. And I know it's special. And I figured this way, you could have her there when you're about to sleep, watching over you. I'm sorry if I overstepped, but I really-"

"I love you." It was a whisper, soft, quiet, intimate. It sounded like words that hadn't been spoken much in her life, but there they were, floating up and out of her mouth. Arizona wasn't even sure she heard right, but the look in Callie's eyes told her she did.

"Y-you do?" She answered in surprise, taking in the massive smile on Callie's face as she nodded.

"I do."

This was it. There wasn't any going back. She could never not love Callie now. Once she said these three words, she'd never unsay them. Once she said them, she was vulnerable. She was open.

But how could she even think about not saying them, when Callie was so sweet and so gorgeous and so adorable, smiling at her with so much adoration written across her face.

"I love you too."

And then their lips were back together, fighting for dominance, not really caring who won the battle. When Callie's tongue ran across her lips, she gladly granted her access, deepening the kiss and pulling Callie slack against her own body. Everything was on fire - her mind, her body, every single fibre of her being. Desperately, Arizona slipped a hand under Callie's pajama shirt and felt the warm skin beneath it. And just as she reached the underside of a breast, a breast she so desperately wanted to touch, she heard Tim calling for them from the stairs.

They both groaned, hearts racing.

Callie took a deep breath and rolled her eyes, "Sometimes I hate your brother."

Arizona did not disagree.

"Merry Christmas." Arizona whispered, and Callie grinned.

"Merry Christmas, love."

**March of the next year**

Their relationship had not been going well. It had been like a switch, one day Callie was sweet and kind and everything was good, and the next she was stressed and snappy and nothing Arizona could say changed that. It was frustrating, and Arizona was never sure what she was going to get. Which is why she was lingering outside of Callie's door, twirling her thumbs, debating whether or not she should go in. Finally, she decided to suck it up and go in, so she knocked and walked in. Callie stopped what she was writing immediately and folded up the paper and stuck it in her dresser drawer.

"I didn't say come in." She snapped, and Arizona shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Sorry."

Callie's eyes softened, like she didn't like how uncomfortable her girlfriend looked.

"No, I'm sorry."

Painful silence. They'd never been silent before in their lives. If there was one thing she'd always loved about their relationship, it was the lack of awkward silences.

"Calliope...What's going on?" Arizona whispered, and she watched as Callie's face flashed with a range of emotions, and finally set on defeat.

"I don't know." It sounded like a lie, the most used lie on the planet other than "I'm fine". But Arizona didn't push it.

"It's exhausting." Arizona stated, and Callie looked at her sadly before standing up and motioning her over to the bed.

"Come here." She muttered, and Arizona, like always, curled up against her side. Callie ran her fingers up and down Arizona's arm, much like they always had.

"Callie, I-" She was interrupted by Callie, who put a finger softly to Arizona's lips.

"I'm sorry. For everything."

"I know."

Callie turned onto her side, so her nose was touching Arizona's, and looked at her, finally really looked at her, and smiled another sad smile.

"I love you, you know that right?"

"I do."

"I want you to know, no matter what, how much I love you, okay?"

Arizona frowned, confused by the insistence Callie was putting on her words, but nodded anyways.

"You're amazing. I wish I had a bigger word, but I don't think any word would really be enough."

"Calliope, why are you saying this?" Arizona asked, unable to read the expression on Callie's face.

"Because you deserve to hear it." Callie answered, and leaned in to close the space between their lips. The kiss was not soft. It was not delicate. It was passionate, it was breathtaking. It was one of those kisses you think about for days after it's passed. It was like Callie was trying to tell an entire story through a kiss and Arizona just had to close her eyes and take it all in. Callie's hands were in her hair, on her hips, down her back, everywhere, all at once.

"Curfew time! To your own rooms please, girls." Barbara's voice floated up from downstairs, causing them both to stop. Callie's eyes were unreadable as she looked at Arizona. But she looked beautiful, with bruised lips and red cheeks. So Arizona leaned down one more time and kissed her softly, running her thumb lovingly along her cheek.

"I love you." Arizona said, watching the way Callie's eyes looked sad, and then lit up, as if allowing herself to enjoy the moment.

"I love you too." She answered, and it was the most heartfelt three words Arizona had ever heard.

And then Callie walked her the short ten steps to her door, and Arizona could feel those brown eyes never leaving her. Callie was looking at her almost hungrily, like she couldn't bear to look away. But Arizona didn't say anything, because she really didn't mind her girlfriend checking her out. She didn't say anything else, either, because she didn't want to ruin the first good night they'd had in at least a month. So she just leaned in and kissed Callie quickly, in a soft, quick, goodnight kind of way.

They'd discuss it more tomorrow.

The next morning, the alarm woke Arizona unforgivingly and she swatted at it to turn it off. Groaning, she flexed her muscles before swinging her feet out of bed. She grabbed her towel off the hook on the back of her door and talked groggily towards the shower. She passed Tim on the way, hair wet, heading for the kitchen.

"Callie up yet?" Arizona asked, and Tim laughed and shook his head. Callie always snoozed her alarm until the last possible moment, so they often pulled her out of bed. Deciding on waking Callie before showering, Arizona left her towel in the bathroom and went to the end of the hall, where the old guest room, which was now Callie's room, could be found. She knocked, and, as expected, got no answer. Then she pulled the door open. The room was spotless. The bed was made, and everything her parents had bought Callie remained on the shelves. Her textbooks were still piled on the desk neatly. But right there, right in the center of that desk, was a letter. It seemed so big, like it filled the entire room, and Arizona picked it up, in a dreamlike state, and opened it.

_Arizona,_

_I left all of the things your parents bought me. Tell them I appreciate everything they've done for me. I'm sorry to have left this way, without a goodbye, but this was the only way it could be done. I know I've made promises to you, but I can't keep them. This was never going to work out for us. We were fooling ourselves to ever think that it would._

_Don't look for me. You won't find me, I don't want to be found. I'm not lost, I'm not taken, I have just moved on. _

_Go to med school. Be a surgeon. Buy a boat. Do all of those things you always wanted to do. But do them without me. _

_Thank you for everything, _

_Callie Torres_

She doesn't know the moment her knees hit the floor, or the moment that tears start streaming down her face. She doesn't even know how long she's on the floor, sobbing, before Tim comes running up the stairs, wrapping her up in his arms and reading the letter himself.

She answers every question the social worker asks, but doesn't really feel like she's there. She feels like she's floating somewhere up above, looking at it all but not actually living it. And when Teddy comes running over, wrapping her up in a hug and telling her it's all going to be okay, she doesn't believe her.

She goes on auto-pilot. School, home, chores, sleep. Nothing more than that. No smiles, no laughs, no candy or wrestling matches with Teddy. She can't seem to conjure up enough emotion to care about anyone. Tim stops by her room every night to talk, but she shuts him down.

Days turn into weeks, and then into months, and she's still not okay. The pain has ebbed to a dull ache in her heart, one she's almost used to living with.

Their last night together starts to make more sense. The guarded look, the way Callie couldn't keep her eyes off of her. Arizona starts to beat herself up for not seeing the signs. But how could she? She'd thought Callie was all in. She'd been completely blindsided.

After a month, Tim and Teddy rip her from her bed and force her to start living. She starts to smile to please her family, because she knows they're worried about her.

When the social worker says that Callie hasn't turned up, she's not surprised. Callie always was an expert at hiding from the people she wanted to hide from.

Eventually, Callie's eighteenth birthday passes, and Arizona buries those presents in the back of her closet. And she gives up hope on finding her. She starts looking at colleges and getting ready to ace her final year of high school.

The dull ache in her heart turns to a burning anger, and it stays that way. She actively hates Callie with every fibre of her being, while somehow being aware that she also loves her just as desperately.

And life goes on.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you all for sticking with it, I love all your comments :) I'm giving you pieces of information on Callie, but you'll get an entire explanation from her. And it's complicated. And dramatic. For them both. Enjoy!

**Arizona's POV**

It had been 12 years since that day. Since that day she'd fallen to her knees and sobbed and felt world shatter around her. She'd picked herself up, eventually. Teddy and Tim had helped. They'd forced her out of her sweatpants and pushed her into the shower and stuck her back into the world. Eventually, the pain had ebbed. Eventually, she'd stopped looking for Callie when something funny happened. Eventually, she had accepted that Callie Torres was nothing but a distant memory. A memory of the most precious kind of love, a love that now felt unattainable. She was also a reminder of what betrayal felt like, what losing it all felt like. Although, if she was being honest with herself, she didn't really want to love someone the way she'd loved Callie. So much time had passed that Arizona could hardly remember the way Callie's skin had felt under her fingertips, or the sound of her deep laugh. But she could always remember the way she'd felt, the look in Callie's eyes when she'd told her she loved her.

She couldn't seem to let go.

She'd moved on, yes. But moving was different than letting go. She could date Carly, and work, and go to bed every night wrapped up in arms that just never felt right, but she couldn't let go. No, letting go felt wrong. How could she ever let go of all of those summer nights, talking about dream houses and the way they just couldn't live without each other. How could she let go of the tingling feeling Callie's fingertips had left running across her skin? She'd missed Callie for the big moments, like graduation, or getting into Med school. She'd missed Callie at Tim and Teddy's wedding, because they could have given a fantastic speech, and instead, she'd given it alone.

She couldn't let go.

So here she was, twenty nine, a surgical fellow at Seattle Grace-Mercy West hospital, still in love with a woman she hadn't seen in over a decade.

It sounded ridiculous.

She'd just finished a simple Umbilical Hernia Repair, and her shift was finally over. Of course, Carly was waiting for her at Joe's with Tim and Teddy. Sometimes, it almost hurt Arizona to know that Carly loved her so much, but she could never love her back in the same naive, trusting way most people could. Because she was still in love with a ghost of a person she lost a decade ago. How could you love someone after they abandoned you and never looked back? She disappointed herself.

Does it count as love after 12 years? Arizona honestly didn't know the answer. She didn't even know if Callie was alive. She didn't know where she'd gone, she didn't know anything. All she knew was that she'd disappeared one day and that had been the end.

When she got to Joe's, Carly smiled to her from across the bar, and Arizona smiled back. Carly had a pretty smile, the kind that was sweet and nice and kind. _But Callie's smile was that and more._ She always kept those thoughts to herself. Teddy and Tim were with her, and Arizona waved a hello to them as well.

"Hey babe, you look tired." Carly said, leaning over to plant a quick kiss on her lips. Arizona smiled and squeezed Carly's hand reassuringly.

"Long shift."

"Anything serious?" Tim asked, and Arizona shook her head no.

"Just a long day, no reason why, really." She lied, but Tim and Teddy knew. Of course they knew. She got this way every single year on this date. Carly, bless her soul, was oblivious to it. But Tim had watched Arizona shatter and break over that day, and rebuild herself afterwards. He knew how much energy it cost her to push through on this day.

"Let's get you a drink." Tim offered, and Arizona took him up on the offer thirstily. _I need a drink to get through the rest of today._

When they got a bar, she got a vodka/soda, and Tim ordered a rum and coke.

"How are you holding up?" Tim asked, and Arizona rolled her eyes at him.

"You don't have to ask me that every single year."

"Yes I do, I'm your brother." He stated, and Arizona smiled gratefully.

"I know, and I'm thankful. But I'm okay." She smiled a big dimpled smile, but Tim just looked at her.

"Your smile is dazzling, but I'm not Carly. I don't fall for it. Your eyes are saying something totally different."

Arizona loved her brother, adored her brother. He was the one person in the world she loved and trusted more than anyone. Teddy followed close behind, but Tim would always be her big brother. But his ability to see through her mask of happiness drove her crazy.

"I don't want to talk about it. I just want to drink. It's been twelve years, so what? I'm over it."

It was the most pathetic lie she'd ever told, because anyone who'd known her and Callie together would know she'd never really be over it. Even if she'd managed to stop loving Callie, which she hadn't, she'd always be a fair bit broken. She didn't trust anyone, not anymore. Only Tim and Teddy. Even Carly, she kept at a far distance. For years after high school, she'd indulged in casual sex with no string attached whatsoever, to avoid having to see the same person twice. Her mother had disapproved, but she'd shook her off and continued about her ways.

"You lost the love of your life, but I lost a sister. And there isn't a day in the last twelve years where I haven't thought about Callie or missed her with all my heart. So don't lie to me. I might not understand all of your pain, but I know what it's like to miss her."

Arizona nodded, forcing herself not to cry, and hugged Tim quickly. Then she grabbed her drink and headed back to the table. Carly looked concerned, but Arizona flashed her a smile that said everything was fine.

"Teds, I can't believe you're a Cardio attending!" Arizona said, throwing on her perky face and smiling to her best friend and sister in law. The perky act could get tiring, but it was generally well received by other people, so she kept it up. It wasn't a far stretch, there had been a time, some twelve years ago, where she'd been that perky, that close to becoming a normal, trusting person. Callie had shattered that all to hell though.

"Gosh, I know! It feels crazy. And I've already got that resident Cristina Yang kissing my ass."

They all shared a laugh, and Arizona downed her drink, signaling to Joe to pour her another.

"I'd love to have residents kissing my ass! I'm still kissing David Hodkinson's ass, trying to get him to let me in on some cool surgeries. Plus, I'm sure the pay is good!" Arizona stated.

Teddy contemplated this, and next to her, Tim nodded excitedly.

"It's been really nice." Teddy agreed, smiling at her husband.

"Oh, we forgot to tell you, we're looking at buying a new place!" Tim exclaimed, and Teddy clapped her hands together in excitement. Arizona grinned and mimicked Teddy's excited gestures.

"That's amazing! Any leads?" Carly asked.

"Yes, actually. There's this amazing place about twenty minutes from here. It's a bit of a drive for Teds to get to and from work, but it's a great price. It's a five bedroom, one of those will be yours, Arizona. And this giant backyard with a huge tree in the back!"

"You should build a treehouse back there for your future kids!" Carly exclaimed, and Arizona felt her stomach drop. _I wonder if that treehouse is still there. With her initials carved into the wood with Tim and I. I wonder if it's still standing, or if the tree was long struck down._

"Oh, I'm not a big fan of tree houses." Tim said, waving off the comment, but keeping a wary eye on his sister.

"Maybe a tire swing then?" Carly suggested, oblivious to the pain flashing across her girlfriends face. Teddy sent Arizona a questioning look from across the table though, and Arizona smiled a fake smile and pushed her thoughts away, before getting up to go get her second drink from Joe.

"Wanna talk about it?" Teddy asked, coming to stand next to Arizona, having left Tim behind to discuss the house with Carly.

"No, I want to drink." Arizona muttered, downing the drink and asking Joe for a vodka shot this time.

"Arizona, you can't just get drunk every year, blubber on my couch, and then pass out."

"Why not?" Arizona challenged, staring Teddy down.

"Because it doesn't solve anything! It doesn't make you stop missing her, it doesn't make you stop wondering what happened to her."

Arizona slammed down another shot, and turned to face Teddy.

"Yes, it does. Because for a second, when I'm so drunk I can't think straight, Callie didn't leave, and I can, just for a second, pretend my life isn't a huge freaking disaster."

Teddy looks sad, and Arizona feels bad for snapping. Because she knows she's not alone in the suffering. They all loved Callie, they all adored her. They all spent a year with her and they all felt the shock when she disappeared so suddenly.

"I'm sorry Teddy. It's just...where is she? I'm lying there sometimes at night, and I think "what if she's thinking about me, right now?" and in that moment, I swear I can **feel **her. But then I think, for all I know, she's dead. Or married. I've looked for her. I've searched and searched, but she just disappeared. She's gone. And I don't know how to fall out of love with someone when I never even got goodbye."

Teddy doesn't speak, just downs a shot of vodka and squeezes Arizona's hand. And for a second they both sit there, thinking and wondering. Then they make their way back to the table, where Carly is telling Tim about her childhood house.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I'm going to go home. I feel like crap." Arizona murmurs, and Carly looks at her sympathetically.

"I'm on call tonight, so I'm just going to hang out around here until my shift starts. But I'll catch you for lunch tomorrow?"

"Sounds good." Arizona says, and Carly smiles and kisses her goodnight.

"Love you."

And like every time, it almost hurts to say it. After all these years, it still feels like cheating. Like every time, all she can picture is seventeen year old Callie, strong and vulnerable at the same time, brown eyes staring at her. _She'd looked so surprised every time that I told her I loved her. Like no one had ever truly loved her in her life before. But I'd probably looked the same way._

But Carly wasn't Callie, and Callie was gone. So she swallowed that lump in her throat and smiled.

"Love you too."

The next morning, the alarm goes off before the sun rises. Arizona groans and rubs her tired eyes. The room is dark, and the bed feels massive with just her in it. She wonders if maybe she should invite Carly over to spend the night. They've been dating for six months, and Carly's only been at her place for a couple of hours. She showers slowly, taking time to think and pull herself together. She only let herself feel the pain of losing Callie once a year. And then she tucked it back in as neatly as she could and continued on living. By the time she was dressed and ready to go to work, the sun was rising and it lit the street with a nice orange glow. Arizona texted Carly to confirm their lunch date, and, because she was early for her shift, decided to walk the ten minutes to the hospital. On her way, her phone starts ringing with Teddy's special ringtone, and Arizona sighs and smiles.

"I'm fine."

Teddy laughs, "Oh calm down, I'm not your mother. Tim and I are visiting the possible new house today at six, I know you're off at four. Wanna come?"

"Oh, yeah, of course I do! Should I drive over or do you wanna carpool?"

"Carpool. That way we can talk on the way over and back!"

"Deal."

They hang up having planned for Teddy and Tim to pick her up at her apartment at five thirty, and Arizona continues the walk to the hospital. She's taken nearly ten steps when her phone rings to life once again, and Arizona groans in frustration.

"Can't a girl get some peace?" She groans before answering, "Hello?"

"Hi sweetie, is this a bad time?" Barbara asks, and Arizona smiles.

"No Mom, it's not. I can't talk long though, I'm walking to the hospital right now."

"Oh okay, well I just wanted to ask you to take some pictures of Timmy's possible new house. I asked him to, but you know your brother, he gets so excited and forgets to do things."

Arizona laughs and reassures her mother that yes, she will take photos and send them to her parents.

"Thank you dear. I'm sorry we didn't call yesterday, but you always get so angry when we check in on...that day."

Sometimes she wished they all just called it as it is. Not _that day_, but just the day Callie left them all with nothing more than a letter.

"It's okay Mom. I went to Joe's with Carly, Tim and Teds. And then went home. Nothing exciting."

Arizona knows her Mom is fighting the urge to say something, and finally she does.

"Do you love Carly? Because Tim said-"

Arizona bites the inside of her cheek to keep her temper in check, but interrupts her Mom.

"Listen Mom, I love you. And I love Tim. But I'm not going to spend my life alone just because twelve years ago the love of my life disappeared without a care in the world."

Carly was safe. She knows that. She picked her because she was safe. Carly was quiet and kind and adored Arizona, and she knew she could be clammed up and she'd never say a thing about it.

"Sweetie, I know. But you deserve to be in love."

"Carly loves me. And she's sweet and kind. If anything, she deserves better than me."

Her Mom sighs on the other side of the phone, and they both drink in the silence.

"One day you're going to have to let go."

"Don't you think I'm trying to! Do you think I like being hung up over a girl I lost twelve years ago? Do you think I like missing her?"

_Damn you Calliope Torres, damn you for coming into my life and making me fall madly in love with you. Damn you for breaking my heart. Damn you for never giving me goodbye._

"Some days I forget her Mom, okay? Some days. And then the next day I wake up and she's everywhere. I just... I just wish I knew. I wish I knew why. And I wish I knew that she was at least okay. But I can't move on because the last thing she ever told me in person was that she loved me. You don't say that to someone and then bail on them for no reason!"

Barbara sighs on the line again, and Arizona understands her frustration. She really does. She knows that Tim, Teddy, her parents, just want her to be happy. And she wants to be happy. And she's not miserable all the time. When she's operating on tiny humans, or watching Tim and Teddy banter lovingly, she feels pure joy. It's in the little moments in life, where she wants to talk about her past, or wants to joke around, that she misses Callie. She misses Callie when it's two in the morning and she wants to eat sour patch kids and jump on the bed. She misses Callie when she's lost a kid at work and she just knows she would have made it better. She misses Callie in the little moments, seconds before she falls asleep, where she aches for her arms around her. It's not all the time. She's not consumed by it every second like she used to be. But it's an ache. An ache that just doesn't seem to go away.

"I wish I knew where she was too, sweetie. We all do. We just worry about you, because we love you."

"I know Mom, and I love you too. But I'm okay, I promise."

They agree to disagree, and hang up on that note. Seconds later, the hospital comes into view, and Arizona sighs in relief.

She could really use a surgery to stop thinking about all this madness.

**Callies POV**

She'd never expected her life to turn out like this. Of the many scenario's she had imagined, this one had never once entered her mind. When she was younger, she'd always imagined she'd be stuck in that deadbeat town until her mother died. And then she figured she'd work a dead end job and probably die alone.

But Arizona had happened.

And she'd changed everything.

Arizona had made her want things again. Arizona had made her want a big house with a wrapping balcony, and little kids with her blue eyes. Arizona had made her want everything and more.

But she hadn't gotten any of that. She hadn't gotten the house, or the babies with the blue eyes, or the girl of her dreams. She knew she'd done it for the right reasons, but damn, did it still ever hurt. She'd always thought that by now she'd have moved on, but it was impossible. She was certain she'd never love a person the way she'd loved Arizona. Loved? Past tense? It felt past tense, because there was no way Arizona still loved her. But at the same time, she adored Arizona in the same crazy way she had twelve years ago. Some days, when she was two drinks into the hole, she pictured where Arizona would be today. _Probably a rocket scientist or something, she was brilliant._ It was torture, never knowing. What was worse was knowing how easily she could find out. One quick search, one quick trip to where Arizona was. But no, she couldn't. Because if she saw her once, all grown up, but Arizona nonetheless, she was certain she wouldn't be able to pull herself away. And she would never put her in danger like that. So she clung to the memories, the memories of endless nights laughing and giggling and falling in love. They were like a secret movie that took her far away from the place where she was right now.

Around her, the walls of the dingy hotel room seemed to close in on her. She doesn't even have a picture to hang. All she has is that heart necklace Arizona gave her twelve years ago. But she still wears it. She wears it every day. Once, two years ago, it had broken and she'd nearly lost it. The panic that had coursed through her veins when she'd noticed it wasn't around her neck had nearly consumed her. Luckily, after backtracking her steps, she'd found it out on a lonely little street, untouched. In a way it had made her feel like there was still hope. As long as she had that necklace, she still had a piece of Arizona.

Deep down, Callie knew she'd done the right thing. She'd done it all for Arizona. But she couldn't imagine the way Arizona's face had crumbled reading that letter. She couldn't imagine how her eyes had looked, full of tears, so confused at her sudden departure.

The last thing Arizona had ever said to her was "I love you". Not in a grand, goodbye, kind of way. It had been a simple "I love you". One that you say to someone when you know you're going to see them shortly. One to tide you over just until the next time you were together. And Callie had said it back, knowing all too well it was the last time. That last kiss, god, it had ended too soon. The second Arizona's lips left hers, it ended too soon. If she could have just one moment back, it would be that one right there. With Arizona arms wrapped around her neck and their lips pressed firmly together.

But Callie Torres wasn't that lucky. She'd never been that lucky.

But she was a good person. She knew that much. Which is why she was in this dingy hotel room. Being guarded 24/7 by trained police officers. Her father had been a fool to think she'd of joined in his "business". He'd been a fool to think she'd of forgotten everything she'd learnt from the Robbins'. Everything about compassion and good and bad. He'd trusted her, and she'd followed his lead. For twelve years, she'd put her head down and ignored the horrible things he was doing. For twelve years she'd planned her move, planned her way out. And finally, after twelve years, it was happening. If all went well at the court hearing, in a months time, she'd be free. Free of him, and his evil and treacherous ways. Free of his violent followers who always seemed to have ten eyes on her at once. She would be free. When she dreamed of her freedom, she always imagined finding Arizona, just turning up there one day, holding flowers. In her dreams Arizona would cry and smile and jump and kiss her. But reality told her otherwise. She knew she had shattered Arizona's heart. Arizona didn't trust easily, and Callie had found her way under that protective shell, and then she'd turned around and hurt her. And that note, that note had been so impersonal. She'd been as distant as she could be, to keep Arizona from searching for her. To make Arizona feel so abandoned that she'd never want to look for her.

She'd broken Arizona's heart, but she also broken her own heart.

The twelve years since that day had been awful. She sometimes looked in the mirror and couldn't even recognize the girl looking back at her. Her eyes had grown cold, she knew that. Bad things didn't make her sad anymore. She was so unlike she had once been, that she was almost terrified that Arizona wouldn't even recognize her if they ever did meet again. Her biggest fear, since she was very young, was that she inherently bad. Of course, Arizona had made her feel good. Arizona had made her see the good inside herself. But twelve years of evil felt like it had turned her into a monster. A calm, controlled, emotionless monster.

Except that thinking of Arizona made her feel a range of emotions that were nowhere near evil. So maybe she was good. She wasn't really sure.

But today, today was different. Today she was going to the court house. Today she was testifying. Today she was changing it all. And then maybe, just maybe, one day she'd see Arizona again.

She just had to brave her father, his right hand man, and an army full of newscasters eating up the story hungrily.

That was all.

**Arizona's POV**

She was sitting at Tim and Teddy's possible new house, taking pictures for her mom. It was a nice place, with a huge backyard and a newly renovated kitchen. The price was good too, low because the seller had lost a lot of money to a gambling addiction. It felt wrong to be elated about someone else's misfortunes, but she did. Tim and Teddy would be great in the house. And there were six bedrooms, enough for a handful of kids that she knew Tim always wanted. She suspected that it wouldn't be long before Teddy announced they were trying, but she didn't push them to tell her all about it. They would, in good time. And plus, she really didn't need to know that they were having sex every night.

"Gorgeous, right?" Teddy exclaimed, spinning in circles and squealing excitedly. Arizona watched her, half happy and half jealous of her.

"It's beautiful, Teds. You guys are lucky."

Teddy smiled, "The one next door is for sale too, you should check it out."

"You want me to be your neighbor?" Arizona questioned, and Teddy laughed and nodded seriously.

"I think you'd make the best neighbor ever."

Arizona laughed, but when the real estate agent came downstairs, they both inquired about the house next door. Excited at the prospect of selling two houses, the real estate agent called up the owners and offered them a quick tour.

"This one is a little bit less expensive than this house. It needs a little more fixing up. But with the right care, it could be a really beautiful home." The real estate agent, Sarah, commented.

Arizona was sold the second she looked at the house. It was an older house, a wooden house, beautiful and grand and majestic. And she could see a balcony wrapping around the top, just like Callie had always wanted. _Callie isn't here, who cares what she would have liked. _But still, it brought a smile to her face.

"How many bedrooms?" Arizona asked, and Sarah flipped open her notes.

"A master with a private bathroom and closet, and then 3 extra bedrooms."

The inside was nice as well, Arizona could already picture herself in it. The wallpaper was a little outdated and ripped, and would need changing, but that wasn't too much work. She'd paint the walls anyways, she hated wallpaper.

The bathrooms would need new toilets, the showers new shower heads. Some of the wooden flooring would need to be replaced.

But overall, she was perfectly capable of fixing up this house. And if she was right about Teddy and Tim, they'd be needing help very soon. Plus, despite her attempts to turn it off, her mind just kept imagining Callie in this house.

By the time she got home, she'd put an offer on a house and sent a half a dozen pictures to her mom. She grabbed a beer from the fridge and turned on the TV, planting her feet on the coffee table. She wasn't sure where her roommate Alex Karev was, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Alex was younger, still an intern, but he was quiet and supportive, and didn't ask questions, and she respected that. They had a friendship based largely off of a lack of judgement and questions, and she liked that.

There was nothing good on TV. Normally, she would have just settled on a Friends marathon, but there were none on. Finally, she settled on the news, deciding that maybe it was time for her to actually know something about what was going on in the world. Or in her state, her state was probably a good start. There had been a body found in a landfill nearby, the police were still working on identifying the body. Gas prices were rising again. Nothing new, she noted.

She heard the door open, and in came Alex, smelling like cheap bear and smoke.

"Hey Robbins." He grunted, and she waved hello back.

"Rough night?" She asked, and he just smiled and nodded, disappearing into his room.

She turned her attention back to the screen, where a frazzled looking red headed news woman was eagerly telling the story of some drug lord's trial. Arizona rolls her eyes, and downs the rest of her beer. When her eyes fall back on the screen, her world goes from a thousand miles a minute to nothing at all. Somewhere behind her, Alex is moving, talking, maybe. Is the news lady talking? She can't seem to hear it. No. Because there she is. She's not the same, she's older. She's filled out. She's grainy and the video quality is poor, but she's there, her name flashing under her. "Callie Torres testifies against drug lord father, Carlos Torres". She's glued to the screen, as if she's staring at a ghost. And in a way, she is.

"What's going on?" Alex's voice calls from somewhere behind her, and she snaps out of it just long enough to text her brother to come over. Then she pauses the news cast and just stares. Stares for what feels like seconds, but it must be a good ten minutes, because Tim comes running through the door.

"What's going on?" He asks, and Arizona just waves him over, unblinking, eyes fixed on the screen. Tim steps up, confused, and then he sees it. He sees her. And his mouth drops open and a hand goes to his mouth in shock.

And Arizona just sits there. She's alive. She's well. Her hair is long and she looks healthy. She doesn't realize until this moment how much she'd expected Callie to be hurt or dead.

And then, once the shock has passed, she realizes she's angry.

And confused.


	11. Chapter 11

I'm sorry about the wait, work has been crazy! For all of you sticking with it, thank you, I love you all. :)

**Arizona's POV**

"What do I do?" She asks Tim, who's sitting at her kitchen table, holding Teddy's hand.

"I...I don't know." He says quietly, and they all go silent, the shock still apparent on their faces.

"Do you want to see her?" Teddy asks quietly, and Arizona shakes her head, not even sure if she does.

"I think...I think I have to." Arizona finally says, and her best friend and brother both nod, understanding her perfectly.

"Her father is drug lord Carlos Torres, I can't believe that. The man is ruthless. And Callie was so... sweet." Teddy says, and Arizona narrows her eyes at her best friend.

"How do you know about him?"

"How do you not? He's all over the news. Does terrible things, but no one can ever prove it. People who testify against him turn up dead, or just disappear one day."

Despite the large amount of anger she's feeling, Arizona is suddenly extremely worried for Callie.

"I just.. I had no idea he was her father." Arizona commented.

"Did she ever actually talk about her father?" Tim asked, and Arizona sat back, thinking back to the conversation so many years ago.

"_You always talk about your mom, but who was your dad?" Callie asked Arizona, both of them sprawled out on Arizona's bed. _

"_A deadbeat, I gather. I didn't see a whole lot of him. He bailed pretty early." Arizona admitted, smiling as Callie squeezed her hand comfortingly. _

"_Well, he's missing out." Callie replied, and Arizona grinned before kissing her girlfriend softly on the lips. _

"_What about you? You never talk about your dad either." Arizona asked softly, aware of the difficulty Callie had with talking about her past. Arizona found it a little easier, mainly because she'd learnt to trust Tim and her parents, which had taught her to trust more. _

_A conflicted look crossed Callie's face before she spoke, "He's a bad man."_

_Arizona looked at Callie intently, watching for a sign that she would say more, but she didn't. _

"_Remember when you told me my mom was good, under it all?"_

_Callie smiled, "Yes, because she was. My dad is different."_

"_How so?" _

"_Some people are good. Like you, you're good. Even if you drank too much or did the wrong kind of drugs, your heart would be good. My dad's heart isn't good. It's dark, and evil, and twisted."_

_It wasn't the words that made Arizona sad, it was the way that Callie's face changed as she said it, like she was terrified that perhaps she was dark and evil and twisted as well._

"_You're good." Arizona whispered, and Callie's head snapped up and dark eyes locked onto her blue ones._

"_What?"_

"_You're good." Arizona repeated, because Callie still looked like she didn't quite believe her. "You're warm, and kind, and good." _

"_You have to say that, you're my girlfriend." Callie commented, and Arizona giggled._

"_True. But I wouldn't have asked you to be my girlfriend if you weren't kind and warm and compassionate." _

"_Are you sure? Because I'm like, super hot, so I think your judgement might have been clouded." Callie joked, winking at her girlfriend. _

_Arizona laughed and brought her hand up to cup a tanned cheek, "You are without a doubt, super hot, but I saw more than that." _

_Callie doesn't answer, just closes her eyes and smiles. And Arizona takes that as an invitation to lean in and kiss her again. Callie kisses back softly, and then she's leaning Arizona back so they're both lying down, and her tanned hands are tracing lazy patterns on Arizona's stomach, and Arizona feels like she might be a step away from spontaneous combustion. _

"_The door is open." Arizona mutters, and somehow, she's not sure, they both stop and sit up. _

_But Callie grins at her mischievously, and it's so sexy that it takes everything inside of Arizona not to pull her back down and lock that door forever. _

"She said he was evil." Arizona recounts, and Teddy nods.

"Girl got something right!" Teddy comments, eliciting a look from Tim that she shakes off easily, "What, it's true!"

"I never pushed her to talk about it. I always figured eventually she'd come around. I figured we had our whole lives to talk about it." The last sentence was spoken quietly, as the weight of her new knowledge hit her like a freight train.

"I have to go get ready for work. I'm in at five am, and I need a shower." Teddy said, looking apologetic.

"No, no, go get ready. I'll be in at nine anyways. Lunch?" Arizona said, and Teddy nodded and pulled her in for a quick hug.

"Text me the details."

And then it was just them, just her and Tim, both looking frazzled and confused.

"I was so sure she was dead." Arizona whispered, and Tim wrapped a comforting arm around her.

"I know. Do you still love her?"

Arizona pauses, thinking, before answering, "Yes. No. I love Callie, 17 year old Callie. I will always love 17 year old Callie. But that woman up there is not 17 year old Callie. I don't know her. I think... Callie was kind of like the ideal relationship for me. Where we shared a similar past, and it was easy and comfortable. So when I miss Callie, I think I'm really just missing that kind of connection."

"I'd miss Teddy if she left."

Arizona laughs, "You guys have been together for twelve years, and you're married. I'd expect you to."

"So you're going to go talk to her?"

"I think so. I think I need an explanation, to finally move on, you know?"

"Yeah, same here, I think. Will that mean you'll stop being distant with Carly?"

Arizona groans, "Listen, I'm trying with her. Seriously."

"I know."

"It just... doesn't come easy."

Tim sighs, "Well, you don't let it."

Her brother has a valid point, she's been entirely dark ever since they started dating. She hasn't given her girlfriend a chance to see anything about her.

"When I get back, I'll try. I promise."

They stood like that in silence for a bit, and eventually Arizona sent him home. He had to get to work, and she needed time to be alone before work.

She turned on the shower, getting in and letting the hot water relax her. Then she started trying to piece the puzzle back together.

So Callie was the daughter of drug lord Carlos Torres. Her mother was a drug addict. Aria, she assumed, was also Carlos' daughter, although she could have had a different mother. Aria had died at sixteen, something to do with Carlos, that much she knew. Callie had run away at sixteen, the same age as her sister had been at her death. Then she'd spent a year with the Robbins', only to disappear for no reason whatsoever not long before her eighteenth birthday.

There was something she was missing, some kind of story, some kind of big puzzle piece.

Or was she just desperate to believe that Callie wouldn't just leave her?

She was torn in half. Half of her wanted to know what had happened, wanted to talk and figure it out. The other half wanted to scream and shout and walk away and move on. They were both pulling on her, both sides of her, both equally strong.

She didn't want her life torn apart. She'd just gotten to a decent place, in her professional life and even in her personal life.

She had great friends at her workplace, she was becoming a very reputable surgeon. Carly was an amazing, kind, generous woman. The kind of person everybody always adored because she was just so sweet. Eventually, she was sure she'd grow to love her, given time and energy.

She had the potential to be happy. Truly happy. Her life was shaping up. She only got sad one day out of the year, and that seemed like something she could handle. Going to see Callie was a risk, a gamble at her progress and happiness.

But here was the problem with Callie, it had always been the problem with Callie. Callie made her throw away her need for stability and dive headfirst into a storm. Callie made taking risks so worth it that she didn't even blink.

She hated pain. She avoided it like the plague. Ever since she'd been a kid, she'd pushed away pain. Hid pain, ignored pain. And she'd run from it. Not just metaphorically, but physically as well. Seeing Callie would hurt, no matter what was said. There was no version of the encounter that wouldn't hurt.

But she knew. From the moment she saw that grainy version of a Callie that was so grown up, she knew she'd go see her. She was sure Teddy and Timmy knew it too. It was just unfathomable that she would not go see Callie. If she didn't go, odds were she'd never see her again, and the idea of never getting an explanation, of dying and still never knowing, was too much to handle.

Which is why, after her shower, she found herself online looking up the details of the court hearing. The court hearing was at five in the afternoon, in Miami. She'd only ever make it if she got on the next flight out of Seattle by ten. And her shift started in forty minutes. She could call in sick, she had a lot of sick days piled up, because she never missed a days work. But if she bought a ticket, if she got on a plane and went to Miami, that was that. Her decision would be made.

She picked up the phone and dialed familiar numbers, praying that her best friend wouldn't be in surgery at the moment.

"Hello?"

"Hey Teds. Pick one, quick. Go to Miami or don't go to Miami?"

Silence, and then Teddy finally spoke, "You know you're going to go. And I've got a consult to get to."

"But what if there is no good reason for her leaving? What if I'm just... fishing for a reason to not be the girl who got broken up with through a letter."

"Arizona...even if there is a reason, are you sure that's enough?"

The thought stopped her dead in her tracks. She'd never thought of that. She'd always just been so focused on if there was or wasn't a reason, she'd never stopped to think of her reaction to a reason.

"Well, shit." Arizona said, sitting down on the couch and running her fingers through her hair.

"Not to be the bearer of bad thoughts or anything. But can you even forgive her?"

Could she? Even if she ever forgave her, would she ever trust Callie again? Probably not.

"I just want answers." Arizona finally says.

"Then go get them. We'll be here for you when you come back, you know that." Teddy says, and Arizona smiles on her end of the phone, touched by her best friends support.

"I love you. And tell my brother I love him too."

"Yeah, yeah. We know. Go get some answers. And if you need to, kick ass. I've taught you enough to take on a small army."

They hung up on that note, Arizona getting up the nerve to purchase her ticket. She calls Chief Webber minutes later, explaining a sudden illness that she can't seem to shake. He tells her not to worry, and to take two days off to recuperate.

Once work is sorted out, Arizona tosses random clothing into a small suitcase. It's fairly warm in Seattle, so she's sure Miami will be even warmer. Plus, she's not really sure what her "go visit my ex girlfriend from twelve years ago" outfit should be. Finally, she settles on various jeans and jean shorts, with plain t-shirts to go along with them.

The drive to the airport doesn't take long, and she groans as she envisions the cost of parking at the airport. But she doesn't want to involve anybody in this process. No one is going to know about all this other than Teddy and Tim. She tells Carly she's going to visit her mother, and doesn't miss the look in Carly's eyes that says she wishes she'd been asked to go. She makes a mental note to start being more open the second she gets back from her trip.

The flight feels endless. She has a drink halfway through, to soothe her nerves. She doesn't like flying to start, and the added nervousness of possibly seeing Callie is making her feel horrible. The closer they get to landing, the more her nerves turn into anger, and before she knows it, she's grabbing her baggage from baggage claim and she's ready to storm into that courthouse and stick Callie in a chocker hold.

She hails a taxi outside the airport, checking her watch to find she's just on time. The hearing should be starting any minute. She can't go inside during it, but afterwards she should be able to find her way inside to talk to Callie.

"Where to?" A bald, disinterested taxi cab driver asks her.

"Uhhh.." She riffles through her papers until she finds the one she's looking for, "The Dade County District Court."

The taxi drivers eyes shoot up and he smiles.

"Wanna see that asshole Torres put behind bars?" He says, with a certain venom in his voice, and Arizona wonders, for the millionth time, how she didn't know anything about Carlos.

"Something like that."

The driver doesn't ask any more questions, so Arizona leans back in her seat and closes her eyes. It feels like seconds tick by, but it also feels like years pass, simultaneously, before they pull up outside of a court building.

People are standing outside, holding signs, demanding everything from jail time to the death penalty for Carlos Torres. Arizona suddenly feels very out of place here. All of these people, their faces filled with rage, probably having lost people they loved desperately. She can see it in their eyes, the pain, the suffering. In a way, they look a lot like her. Except that her pain is different, the person she lost is inside that building. The people they've lost are gone, somewhere far away, and that's not something she can even imagine. She can't imagine living on a planet where Callie doesn't exist. Sure, over the years, she'd come to believe that maybe Callie was gone, but she'd never had to feel it. She'd never had it confirmed. So she'd never truly believed it, with all of her heart. And even if she never forgave Callie, even if this visit was pointless, she could get some comfort in the fact that the world was not without Calliope Torres. Even if right now, in this moment, she hated her guts.

She checked her watch. It would be hours before the hearing was over and she could find her way in to talk to Callie. She'd brought all kinds of identification, suspecting it wouldn't be easy to get to Callie.

She didn't know the area, so she decided to stand in the crowd, with a hundred other people, and listened to the madness around her.

**Callies POV**

The first hearing has just ended, and she's in the back room with her lawyer. There are policemen fronting all the entrances, making sure she makes it in and out without being harmed.

"It went well. With your testimonies over the course of today and tomorrow, and that of your cousin, we should be able to nail him. We have you both under the tightest security. You know as well as I do that once your father and your uncle are in prison, someone from the lower ranks will move up and take your father's place. And that person should have very little interest in you. So hopefully, you'll be safe once this is all over. But we will be treading lightly. We just need him in prison. His lawyer is good, one of the best. But I'm better." The lawyer states confidently, and Callie's shoulders relax at the good news.

Callie nods and sighs, letting out the stress and pressure of the day in a single breath. Of course, a lot of the decision making comes down to the judge and jury, but they're all being well protected to ensure a good, fair trial. They're interrupted by two swift knocks on the door, and one of her assigned home security guards steps in.

"Sorry to interrupt. You have a visitor. She's been scanned, she's clean."

Callie runs a hand through her hair and blinks tiredly. She can't imagine who'd be visiting her.

"I'll leave you to that. Tomorrow, same time. I'll e-mail you the important case notes. And if that's press related, no comment, remember?" Callie nods and Gerard, her lawyer, closes his briefcase and gives her a quick nod before exiting.

He closes the door behind him softly, and Callie takes a second to fix herself up. Her eyes look tired, and she feels worn, but thankfully, the news reporters haven't seen anything but a tired, worn woman. She's playing around with her blouse when she hears the door click open, and she takes a deep breath to compose herself.

"Turn around, Callie."

And no amount of breaths could ever help her from coming undone as the voice that's been playing nonstop in her dreams for the last twelve years fills her ears.

She turns slowly, in a daze, knowing she will never be ready for the moment their eyes meet. She'd expected that seeing Arizona again would make her cry, or smile, or something. But she just stands there, completely frozen. Once that passes, she can't help the gasp that falls from her lips or the way her hands come up to her mouth. She can't help the tears from welling up in her eyes. Arizona looks the same, but different all at once. Her hair is still soft and blonde, but she wears it long and straight. She's the same height as she was at seventeen, but her body is different. It's a woman's body, not a teenagers. Her eyes, gosh, those eyes, they're changed. Arizona's eyes had always been incredibly soft, and despite everything, Callie can still see that softness in there. But she's also dark and tired. Like someone who's struggling with two completely different versions of herself, unsure of who to be. Callie is overwhelmed with the urge to hug her, but she knows no good would come of that. Finally, when Callie speaks, her voice sounds quiet and meek.

"Arizona..." She whispers. It's a whisper that sounds like it belongs in a dream. And maybe it does. She wants to say more, but what can you really say after twelve years. There's so much she's missed out on. _Where do you work? What's your job? Where do you live? Are you married? Do you have kids? How's Tim, how's Teddy?_

But she doesn't really deserve any answers.

"I'm sorry." Is all Callie can really say, so she does. Arizona nods, like she knows, eyebrows knitting together as emotions flash across her face.

"I loved you so much, Calliope." _Loved. _If Callie's heart could break more, it did. And the use of her full name, the full name she had legally changed years ago, it still sounded so sweet coming from her lips. Even in the broken, pained way she spoke now.

In that moment, Callie would have given anything to take it all back.

"You were it for me." Arizona whispers, running her fingers through her straight blonde hair. She looks destroyed, beaten down. Like someone who's been through hell and back and no longer knows how to deal with it.

"I know." Is all Callie can manage to respond. Because it's the only truth. She knows. But she can't change it.

"Did you look for me?" It's a hushed whisper, but the silence in the room makes it perfectly audible. Callie doesn't answer, just bites her lip and blinks her teary eyes and watches Arizona do the same. She knows that even twelve years later, Arizona knows by her face that she didn't. She wants to gives excuses, she wants to explain to Arizona that she did it all for her. She wants to say that she's thought of no one else since the day she left. But the problem with words is that once you've betrayed someone, they lose all meaning. So they stand there, close enough that Callie can smell Arizona's shampoo. Closer than they've been in twelve years, but so unbelievably broken and separate and different it's hard to believe they were once so naively in love.

"I wanted to. Believe me when I tell you that. You have to believe me." It's a desperate plea, Callie knows. But it's all she's got. Because it's the truth.

"Believe you?" Arizona shouts, tears now falling down her pink cheeks. But the anger is quickly lost as pain and tears take over, and Arizona covers her eyes with her hand, breaking into a sob. It's the wrong move, it is one hundred percent wrong, and Callie knows it, but she can't help it. She closes that gap between them and hugs Arizona tightly. The top of the blondes head still rests comfortably under her chin. She waits, breathless, until the blonde wraps her arms around her and buries her nose in her neck. And then she lets it all go.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Callie whispers, over and over again. Arizona slowly pulls away, pulling herself together. She sniffs and straightens up and steps back, and when she speaks her voice is cool, collected.

"I was young, but I wasn't naive. And I sunk to that floor helpless holding your letter. I didn't trust easily. And I have carried the pain of losing you around with me for twelve years. I've loved you every single moment of my life for twelve years. I searched for you. I searched for you for years. I did, Tim did, Teddy did, my parents did. There wasn't one night where I fell asleep and you weren't the last thing on my mind. You changed my world, you changed my world and you broke me apart and you exposed me, and I let you because I adored you. And you took that and you stomped on it. So you don't get to be sorry."

"Arizona, I loved you more than you'll ever know. I did not just walk out for no reason. A part of me died when I let you go. Do you know how hard it was to kiss you goodbye that last time, knowing very well it would be the last time? I wanted to remember every detail. I tried to remember detail! But memories are fickle and they fade and soon enough the details are gone! I can't even remember our last kiss, I just know it was over too soon."

Blue eyes soften with understanding, and then go ice cold, "At least you knew that kiss was the last."

It was like those words snapped Callie back into the present. A place where Arizona didn't belong. In a mess of trials and the witness protection program and eyes and ears watching. A dangerous world in which Arizona did not belong.

"You should go." Callie said, in a voice that felt like it didn't quite belong to her.

And she definitely wasn't prepared for the moment that Arizona turned around and walked away.

**Arizona's POV**

When she got out of the shower at her hotel, Tim and Teddy had already called her five times. Smiling, she dialed familiar numbers and waited for them to answer.

It was nearly seconds after the first ring that a breathless Teddy answered, "Hello?"

"Hey. What's up?"

She could almost see the look of exasperation across her best friends face, "Arizona Robbins, please tell me you did not just "what's up" casually, like you aren't in Miami rediscovering the one that got away, or whatever."

"Did you hear anything about the new house?"

She hears Tim in the background, followed by a grumbling Teddy, "You talk to her, she's being annoying."

Tim's hearty laugh makes her smile, "Hey sis. Stop pissing off my wife."

"But I do it so well."

Another laugh, "You do. So, what happened?"

"She told me to leave."

Silence, then a response, "Ouch."

"Well there was more stuff in between. I can't decide if my soul is crushed for eternity or if a weight has been lifted and I can love again."

"It's a fine line."

More silence lets Arizona know that her brother is deep in thought.

"What did she look like?" He finally asks, softly.

Arizona sighs and pictures the worn out, frazzled, cold woman that was the shell of the girl she once loved.

"Tired."

"Tired?"

"Yeah. Exhausted, like she's just...done."

They talk for an hour or so, on speakerphone so that Teddy can be included. Arizona recounts everything said, and they all take comfort in the fact that they have one another. Arizona is surprised that she's not curled up in bed crying, but thankfully if there's one thing she can do, it's bury feelings. She knows that when she's alone in bed, the day's events will hit her like a freight train.

A knock on Arizona's hotel room door forces her to hang up the phone, but she promises to call Tim and Teddy back in the morning before she gets on a plane home.

A second knock on the door, this one more insistent, has Arizona scrambling out of bed, phone in hand. She lifts onto her tippy toes and peeks out the peephole, taking in the raven hair and business suit on the other side. The person isn't facing her, but she knows who it is. _How did Callie figure out where I was staying?_

She throws open the door, ready to tell Callie to go home, because she's not in the mood for any more drama for the day, but is shocked when the face that greets her is not Callie's.

The face is similar, same dark skin, full lips, dark eyes. The hair is similar, but this woman looks lively and well groomed, where Callie looked tired and frazzled.

"Arizona Robbins?" A deep, firm and confident voice asks, and Arizona nods in confusion.

"Yes."

"My name is Detective Medina. I believe you know me as Aria Torres, I believe you know my sister. May I come in?"

It would have been an understatement to say her jaw hit the floor.


	12. Chapter 12

**Arizona's POV**

"Um, I, well, what?" Arizona mumbles, looking at Detective Medina, Aria, in confusion. No, she was most certainly dead. Who's funeral did Callie go to? The woman in front of her rolls her eyes and steps in without an invitation, and Arizona finds herself closing the door and following her into the hotel room.

"You visited Calliope today. Why?" She states, arms crossed, brown eyes so similar to Callie's.

"Please, come in." Arizona spits out, instantly regretting the level of sass in her voice.

"You're feisty. I like it. But this is not a joke, it's not a game. There are lives on the line, yours included."

Arizona takes a deep breath, "Maybe if someone would be honest with me, I could help."

It's a comment, but also a plead. Arizona sees Aria's eyes soften, and she takes a seat on the bed, motioning for Arizona to join her.

"What do you want to know?"

Arizona runs her fingers through her hair, unsure of what to ask. She has a thousand and one questions, but where to begin?

"Callie said you died."

Aria's eyes fall sadly, and she nods, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"I did, well, I did to everyone I knew. But I'm obviously very much alive."

"How is that possible?"

"You'll find that people will go to very extreme lengths to hide from my father."

The look in Aria's eyes as she calls him her father resembles the look in Callie's eyes when she was younger. Such a fearful, hopeless look. It's almost like looking into Callie's eyes, just for a second.

"So you what? Faked your death? And ran away?"

"It wasn't that simple. My father is a born cartel. His father was, his entire family was. My mother was not, she was a weak woman who got so caught up that she turned to substance abuse to run away. I was the oldest, as I'm sure you know. When I turned sixteen, I knew what would come. My father would take me away from my mother and sister, and I'd start to take a real place in the family business. I'd marry some thug that my father respected, and I'd spend a lifetime living in a world full of drugs and death."

Aria pauses, twirling her thumbs, lost in memories and thoughts Arizona can't even pretend to understand.

"Callie was only ten when I turned sixteen. My father wasn't around at all anymore, he only ever talked to me. I knew she'd be safe, for the time being. But I wasn't. I was terrified. My cousin Ramiro, he's the one testifying with Callie right now, was in his twenties. He was stuck deep inside the gang, but he could see that I needed an out. Since he was working as closely as he could with the DEA, he put me in touch with an agent. We were all aware that the only way my father would give me up was if he was in prison, or if I was dead. Since no one was willing to testify against him, given the history of deaths as a result of that, we went for the latter. The day I "died", a Jane Doe jumped in front of a bus and killed herself. Same height, similar weight, race. It was a perfect match. So they scooped me up from school and started to pull it all together."

It's a lot to take in, but Arizona listens intently, hardly believing that she's talking to Callie's very much alive, older sister.

"Since the body was basically unrecognizable, if they said dental and prints matched, everyone bought it. The story was that I'd killed myself. No one was surprised, given my family history. Then the Witness Protection Program relocated me and gave me a new identity, Anna Medina. I cut my hair short, changed the clothes I wore, wore different makeup. But no one ever really came looking. Given the type of life I'd had, no one was overly surprised by the story of my suicide."

"I didn't know the reason you'd died had been suicide."

Aria looks up, "Callie didn't tell you?"

"She told me your father killed everything, even if he didn't do it himself."

Aria looks sad, biting her lip and pushing dark hair from her face.

"I wanted to help her, so badly. But by the time she turned sixteen, she had dropped off the surface of the earth. I think you know exactly where she ended up."

"With me." Arizona finishes, and Aria nods.

"I was working within the F.B.I by then, with a keen interest in the DEA. But obviously, I couldn't work too closely to anything involving that world, because of my hidden identity. By the time I found Callie, back with my father, she was already too far in."

Arizona bites the inside of her cheek in frustration. Why on earth did Callie go back to her father?

"I came across a file not long after, processed foster home documents from a family, the Robbins, who were housing Callie temporarily. The story read that Callie had been discovered and placed in a nearby foster home. The file was kept top secret, to keep your family safe. But my father had Callie, he wouldn't of cared about your family. Plus, the record stated you'd only been housing her for under six months. I'm sure he never suspected you were anything but a nice group of small town people of no meaning to Callie."

Arizona smiled a little bit, because she was suddenly very glad that her parents had taken their time in doing the legal paperwork for Callie.

"You can imagine my surprise, when, after some phone bugging and snooping, I discovered that not only had my baby sister been living with your family for nearly a year, but she was in love with the adopted daughter, a miss Arizona Robbins."

Arizona's cheeks pick the wrong time to blush, and Aria smiles in amusement. Then Arizona goes serious.

"Calliope was in so much pain over your death. Couldn't you tell her you're alive? You're telling me, after all."

"I know she hurt. Arizona, no one knew better than me. I was the reason for her pain. And I had to watch her spend twelve years stuck in that entire mess. I'm telling you all of this because you need to understand what you're a part of. It's not safe, and you can't keep running around carelessly."

"But I'm not a part of it! I'm just a girl that Callie might of loved a very long time ago. Nothing more."

Aria shoots her a look that is both annoyed and completely dumbfounded.

"Callie has been extremely careful, extremely intelligent. She's had no serious relationships. She's loved no one. She's formed no connections."

Arizona shakes her head in disbelief, it sounds so lonely, to spend that long not caring for anybody. She thinks of how she's had Tim and Teddy and Alex by her side, supporting her. Sharing smiles and laughs and drinks at Joe's. Somehow the idea of spending twelve years without them feels unfathomable.

"I know you're wondering how, but she did it because she's a good person. She knew that if she planned to take my father down, she'd be risking her own life. But she didn't want to risk anybody else's. My fathers people, they'll kill anyone to get to her, to stop her from testifying against him."

Arizona flashes back to her conversation with Tim and Teddy, where they discussed the string of people that would suddenly refuse to testify, or turn up dead.

"She was keeping people safe." Arizona murmurs, and of course she was, Callie was like that. She was selfless and kind, and put herself last. She'd always been like that. That's why her letter that hurt so much. It hadn't been expected. It had been out of character.

"The only person, the only one person she ever loved, is you."

"And you." Arizona counters, and Aria smiles sadly.

"But I'm dead. And you're alive."

They sit in silence, and Arizona can't help to think that without all of this, all of the drama, she and Aria could have been close.

"Why did Callie run?" Arizona finally asks, and she's surprised when Aria rubs her back soothingly.

"I don't know." She answers softly, brown eyes wide and sympathetic, "You can't go see her again, not yet. It's not safe."

Arizona sighs unhappily, understanding, but still wanting to race to wherever Callie is going to be tomorrow to spew out her new knowledge and demand answers.

After a long silence, Aria stands and smiles, extending her arm and handing Arizona a business card.

"This is my card, it's got both my numbers on it. If you find yourself in trouble, give me a call. But do not share any of what has been shared with you tonight. There are more lives on the line than just you and I. Our families are in just as much danger. And Callie cannot know. Not yet."

"Families?" Arizona questions, and Aria's face lights up in a grin.

"Yes, I have a daughter, she's five."

Arizona smiles at her, and they share a look of happiness, but also of general sadness, because here they are, with all kinds of great things in their lives, as Callie struggles to stay afloat.

Aria starts to head for the door, zipping up her leather jacket, which is so alike seventeen year old Callie, it makes Arizona smile. Before she unlocks the door to slip out, she turns and nods to Arizona, who spits out one last question.

"What was Callie like? As a kid." She doesn't know why she asks it, but the words slip out before she's fully thought them through.

Aria pauses and runs her fingers through her hair, "Callie was... kind. And loving. And naive. She loved everyone blindly and didn't think about it. She was kind of like a storm, reckless and beautiful at the same time, but she could never understand why people kept running from her. Then she grew up, and she started to play it safe and she was always afraid to be evil."

Arizona nods, looking at the floor, thinking that the Callie she knew as a teenager, deep down, sounded much like what Aria was saying.

"What was she like, when she was with you?" Aria returns, with a certain sadness in her eyes that feels like it could break Arizona's heart.

"She was everything you said she was as a little girl, you just had to peel back the walls she put up to get to it."

With that, Aria unlocks the door and pulls it open, and Arizona stands up and heads to the door to lock it behind her. Once she's stepped into the hall, Aria turns back one last time.

"My daughter? She looks like Calliope." She says, and then turns and walks down the hallway, not taking the time to look back once.

**Callies POV**

Callie is frantically calling every hotel in town, trying to find out where Arizona is staying. _If she's even in a hotel, she could have high-tailed it out of here by now._ Initially, she'd made peace with the idea of sending Arizona away in order to protect her. But she'd had time to dwell on it, and it was dark outside, and she just really didn't want to be the bad guy anymore.

She wanted a chance to explain. She had a phone book open on her lap, harassing hotel clerk after hotel clerk, trying to track her down. It was a warm night, but she was still wearing that blanket Arizona had sewn together for her around her shoulders. It had stopped smelling like home, like Arizona, a long time ago, but she still adored it. It was all she had left of Aria, and she'd always hold onto that.

"Hello, I'm calling from Louisa's Spa, a miss Robbins booked an appointment with us tomorrow and I'd just trying to confirm with her. She left us this number, could you patch me through?"

She's called six hotel rooms so far, all of which have apologized and said there is nobody by the name Robbins at their hotel. It's nearly midnight and she's growing frustrated and tired.

"Ms. Robbins, certainly. Hold on a moment please, miss." A young voice replies, and Callie throws off the blanket and nearly shouts in excitement, before hanging up.

She jots down the address of the hotel and throws on her coat, heading for the door of her hotel room.

She makes it to the elevator before a man in a suit steps in next to her, and once the door is closed, turns to face her.

"You've been instructed to stay in, Ms. Torres." He says in a monotone voice, and Callie gives him her best glare.

"I have to go somewhere."

"I can't let you do that." The man answers, standing to block the way out of elevator.

Callie sighs, "Listen, I'm going to leave. So you can either come with me, or you can spend the night chasing me as I attempt to escape."

The man seems to ponder this, eventually pulling out a cell phone and calling for downstairs security. In the lobby, she's escorted to a bathroom and given a red haired wig, which looks ridiculous, but she complies. Then they ditch the suits and opt for t-shirts and jeans, looking so casual it throws Callie off.

They escort her to a car with tinted windows, and next thing she knows, they've pulled up in front of the hotel. She doesn't have time to be nervous, because the men protecting her start to hustle her into the building.

Once inside, they leave her side, though she sees them drinking coffee casually, or sitting outside the hotel, still watching for any sign of trouble. She locks eyes with a woman in the lobby staring at her, and she realizes how ridiculous the red wig must look. She pulls it off and shrugs, laughing as the woman shakes her head and leaves.

The front desk is occupied by a small man with a full head of dark hair, and Callie flashes him a big smile, which is returned.

"Hello sir, I'm here to visit a friend. Arizona Robbins? My phone died and I can't remember her room number." Callie waves her phone in the air, laughing at herself, and the man smiles and nods in understanding.

"I hate when that happens." He says, and Callie nods in agreement, adding a fake sigh of exasperation.

"I miss the days of writing things down!" Callie adds, waiting as the man types something into his computer.

"Ms. Robbins is in room 510." He says, smiling a smile that Callie is sure is entirely fake. But she takes it and smiles back, eyes on the elevator to the left of the front desk.

The elevator ride feels endless, especially with her bodyguard leaning against the opposite wall, pretending not to know her.

When she gets off on floor five, he follows her at a safe distance, letting her know that he'll be right outside.

There it is. 510. Callie's hand rests on the door lightly, because it's the one thing between her and Arizona.

She wants to be less selfish, but she can't. And she's selfish for being here. She's putting Arizona in danger, and she knows it. But she can't just let her go.

So she raises her hand and knocks, two light, soft knocks. She hears movement inside, and sees light suddenly pour out from under the door. _She must of been sleeping, she always looked adorable when she was sleeping._

The door is swung open slowly, and Callie is sure Arizona's seen her through the peephole.

When the door opens, Arizona is in a big white t-shirt and boxers, her hair tousled and slightly curly. She looks so adorably sleepy, with those tired eyes and sweet curls, that it takes Callie's breath away.

"Can I come in?" Callie asks breathlessly, shocked when Arizona bites her lip and nods, opening the door wider.

The bed isn't made, of course it isn't, she's been sleeping.

"What do you want, Callie?" Arizona asks, and it's not an angry or a resentful voice, it's just a question.

"I want to explain."

Arizona's blue eyes harden, "You didn't seem to want to explain earlier."

"I didn't want to be selfish. I didn't want to put you in danger. But I can't help myself, I can't let you just walk away without an explanation."

Arizona sits down on the bed, cross legged, running her hand through her hair, like she'd always done.

Callie sits down on the bed as well, but on the edge, as far away as she can be without really being that far away.

"I don't know where to start." She admits, and Arizona doesn't look at her, just keeps her eyes locked on her legs.

"The beginning." Arizona mumbles.

"You know the beginning."

"I don't mean the beginning of us. I mean the beginning of the end."

Callie nods, collecting her thoughts, "It was almost March, I remember. I was leaving school late, because I was studying. You and Tim were at his baseball game, I remember. But I wanted to ace that math test the next day. And you two, you and Tim, you guys never studied."

Her eyes well with tears, and she's not sure if it's because of the memories or because she knows where the story leads. But she swallows the lump in her throat and continues.

"This black car screeched up while I was walking, and next thing I knew, I was in the back and my dad was staring at me. With those dark eyes, those dead eyes. He said that it was my time to come back to the family, to honor the family and take my place. He said that I needed to do what Aria had been too weak to do. I didn't want to, but you don't say no to my dad. He asked if I liked your family, if they were nice. I said you were alright, that I didn't know you all that well."

Arizona is still looking at her legs, but Callie can tell she's listening to every word.

"I was terrified. I couldn't understand how he tracked me down so easily. And then he leaned in real close, and he said "Calliope, you wouldn't want any harm to come of those nice, innocent people"."

Finally, blue eyes snap up, and Callie can't hold her gaze for too long, or else she will never finish talking.

"He said he'd be back for me in a week, willingly or forcefully. I didn't have a choice, Arizona. Either I left by my own choice, or I didn't and he hurt someone to make a point. I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. And I kept thinking of Aria, and how she was always running from him, and she died. And I just, I didn't want to die. I didn't want to live as a slave to his lifestyle, but I didn't want to be dead."

"So you wrote a letter." Arizona says, and Callie nods, scooting just a little bit closer on the bed.

"I wrote a letter," Callie echoes, "I knew I couldn't spill my heart, because you'd know right away I loved you. And I knew I couldn't explain it, because there was no way I was going to risk any of you getting hurt. I made a choice. I didn't like it. I hated it. But I made it for a reason. On that last day, I know you remember it, I felt awful. I was angry and resentful and I didn't know how to live with the knowledge that I'd be leaving. And your parents, gosh, your mom had been so good to me. She felt more like a mom to me than my own mother. And Tim was like my brother. And I just wanted to be with all of you guys forever. I wanted to marry you and get recipes from your mom and talk golf with your dad. But I wasn't one of you. I was a Torres. I'll always be a Torres. I couldn't run from it. My dad picked me up that night, by the park down the street. He gave me a hug and congratulated me on my decision. Like I had a choice. And I swallowed my hatred and I played nice. I have gone through a lot in twelve years."

Arizona is still silent, still looking at her, eyes lost somewhere between the past and the present.

"I know that none of this changes anything, but I just, I need you to know that I did it all out of love."

"It doesn't change anything," Arizona whispers, and Callie's heart drops, "It shouldn't change anything. You still left, and it's still been twelve years, and I still don't know the woman sitting on this bed anymore."

Despite her words, Arizona's blue eyes soften.

In a voice as soft a rolling river, she murmurs, "But I understand."

"You understand..." Callie echoes, and Arizona nods slowly, like she's accepting her words.

"I understand. I don't forgive you, I'm still pissed. And hurt. And I wish, gosh, I wish there'd be some kind of other plan, some world in which you just told me everything."

Callie interrupts, "No. If I told you, you'd have stayed with me, and I didn't want you in this world. You were better than the world my father ruled...rules. I didn't have a chance, I couldn't have my dreams, but I couldn't be the girl who took yours away. And you loved me so much, I think you would have let me."

A silence stretches on, because Callie knows she's right. Arizona would have followed her, would have fought for her. And she would have been wrapped up in a world full of drugs and death.

"I'm a doctor." Arizona finally says, in a small voice that shakes a bit as she speaks.

Callie can't help the grin that spreads across her face as she repeats it, "A doctor?"

"A surgeon, actually. A pediatric surgeon."

Again, her grin grows, and Arizona's face twists into one of confusion.

"Why are you grinning?"

"Because you got to do the one thing you always wanted to do, and that makes me happy."

It's one of the most honest things she's said in a long time, but it rolls right off her tongue before she thinks about it. It makes her laugh, because she's spent twelve years being tough and hard, and it takes an hour with Arizona to make her want to be soft and kind again.

"After all this madness, what are you going to do?" Arizona asks, and Callie shakes her head.

"I don't know."

"You always wanted to be a doctor too, just like me."

"I wanted a lot of things I'll probably never get." Callie says, aware of the loaded comment, but spitting it out nonetheless. Arizona nods, almost like she agrees, before her face goes serious again.

"I'm involved with someone. And I've got a job and I've got friends and a family. And I want to be there for you, but not in the way I was when we were kids. I can't do that."

She's involved with someone. It hurts Callie in a way she didn't expect to hurt. She'd never expected Arizona not to date, twelve years was a long time to be celibate. But somehow, the idea that she was dating someone made Callie want to scream. But she didn't have a right to scream. Despite her reasons, she'd given the blonde up.

"Okay." Callie finally manages, and Arizona bites her lip and blinks away tears.

"Okay."

Callie stands, but Arizona follows her to the door and hands her a card with a number on it.

"You can always reach me here." She says honestly, and Callie pulls a pen from her purse and writes out her number on the other half of the card, ripping it and handing it to her. Then she reaches to open the door, but not before Arizona grabs her arm.

"Wait, Callie?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry you didn't get your dreams. But it's not too late."

They share a smile that is both hopeful but devastating all at once. It's forgiveness and understanding and anger and passion. It's waves upon waves of emotions neither of them really know how to navigate.

"The time I spent with you, it was real. It was too short and it ended abruptly, but it was the realest thing I've ever experienced." Callie says softly, honestly.

"You know, I've spent the greater part of twelve years just praying that one day you'd say that. That I'd know for sure that you loved me as much as I loved you."

Callie wipes a stray tear from her cheek.

"But it doesn't change anything. I'm still here, and you're there. And you still missed weddings, and graduations, and tears and smiles. And I missed things in your life too. I grew up, and you did too. And I guess I just realized that it doesn't really matter the reasons why we missed all that, the point is we did, and we won't ever get it back. I live in Seattle, and you live in Miami. Our lives aren't intertwined. We're just two strangers who shared something extraordinary a very long time ago."

There's nothing left for them to say, not tonight, when emotions are heightened and tears are spilling over. So Callie just grips that phone number, that one branch that connects her to Arizona, and leaves the room.

Then she starts her trek back to her hotel room, unaware of the extra set of eyes that have been following her since she left Arizona's room.


End file.
